Season 1 Saiyan Blood
by DBZROCKS10
Summary: Bardock was caught into the hateful fires of Frieza and his life was almost at a brink of death. However, his valiant faith enlightened him and he survived the Death Ball of the galactic overlord! Following the DragonBall Z storyline if Bardock survived.
1. Lone Survivor

Episode 1

Lone Survivor

**Disclaimer: This is a completely revised and a complete remake of Saiyan Blood. For those who are very familiar with this story, expect to see a lot of major changes from the previous versions. I hope you will all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing this! Thank you!**

**Author's Note: Just a brief comment about posting reviews. I really appreciate respectful and positive reviews as they help me with my writing. If you feel you need to give me some feedback, please write it in the most professional and respectful way as possible. Let's always do our best to respect one another. Please no rude and disrespectful reviews. I will **_**not**_** tolerate them and they will be deleted and/or reported immediately. Thanks in advance!**

**A/N #2: I am currently editing my chapters to fix any grammar mistakes and spelling mistakes I may have missed.**

"_Frieza, your days of tyranny are over! You have existed on the face of our planet for too long."_

_"Hail, Lord Frieza! He is the strongest, most powerful leader!"_

_"Heh, heh, heh, strongest? We have suffered long enough in your hands."_

A man, with blood streaming on his battle-damaged armor, arms, and face, was facing an alien creature that was said to be named Frieza. The man was very weak and he was severely injured, but nevertheless, he had a confident smile on his face. The alien creature who seemed to be the tyrant slowly lifted his left hand; the tip of his index finger was faintly glowing. He had a solemn expression.

"Frieza, listen up. We're tired of being your slaves. In the end, all our hard efforts had come to this? We won't tolerate this nonsense anymore. We're liberated from you from this day onward!" the injured man shouted with great anger, but one could hear a shaking in his voice as he was also overtaken by so much fear.

Frieza continued to gradually lift his left hand. A glowing sphere was then formed at the tip of his finger and it was increasing in size every second.

"Before you and I conclude this battle, I want you to remember something," the courageous man then formed a shining light, a vigorous, blue sphere of energy from his left hand. His body continued to tremble, but he still kept his valor. He cannot let his fear be shown.

Throughout the clashing asteroids and burning stars, a mini-spacecraft shaped like an orb was flying in the infinite and vast outer space. Inside the miniature ship laid a sleeping baby. The young child's face was very similar to that man who was facing Frieza alone. The infant continued with his peaceful, deep slumber, but then, he suddenly felt this strange and cold sensation in his body.

"This is for the people we killed in your name. At least we were never foolish enough to obey you. Take this!" the brave warrior then released and threw his sapphire-colored energy attack, which appeared to be his ultimate finisher, straight towards Frieza.

The traitorous tyrant then suddenly laughed, the sphere from the tip of his finger reacting to his menacing mirth. The energy ball grew colossal in just a snap and it almost reached the size of the moon.

"Hah, hah, hah!" Frieza insanely laughed. The finisher of the warrior who was facing the tyrant had no effect at all as it was absorbed by the galactic overlord's deadly sphere instead. Frieza's attack of scorching fires of hate headed straight for the man instead. The warrior's eyes grew large and his heart pounded like a never-ending thunderstorm.

"No!" he yelled with terror. His courage reduced down to zero. There was nothing in his mind now but utter fear.

In seconds' time, the finisher struck the warrior and he was hurt more than ever, the unbearable, excruciating pain cutting his flesh. His armor was shattered into pieces and they slowly disintegrated. He had never felt so much pain before in his life. His eyes were struck by complete horror. The only image he could see now was Frieza, staring back at him and laughing at his defeat. Frieza's two right-hand men, whom served him with great loyalty, were watching the event closely from the inside of their master's spaceship.

"Farewell, you mindless piece of junk. You should have never underestimated my power…Bardock!" Frieza said to the warrior named Bardock who was slowly dying.

Bardock's torpid body trembled. Reflections of these scorching fires appeared inside his frightened eyes like a mirror. All the efforts he had done just to save his entire planet, his entire race, to save everyone, had faded into nothing. He thought it was all over, that there was no hope.

Resentment, fear, and the feeling of painful guilt befell him. Was he all to blame?

Most of all, sorrow overtook him the most. He had never felt so disheartened in his entire life. He tried to find his reasons why though he could not. His mind only thought of one thing.

At the corner of his eyes, there was a slight, glistening teardrop.

"Kakarot…," he softly said. This word, that could mean anything, echoed in his mind.

_Whoosh…_

_"Kakarot…"_

_Breathing heavily…steadily…_

"…"

_"Where am I? Am I dead?"_

_"You cannot falter now."_

_"Huh? What do you mean? Who's this? Who's speaking to me?"_

_"Why are you giving up so easily? There are so many things you have not accomplished. This is one of them. You know better than to give up."_

_"There's no more hope anyway. Just leave me alone. Let me rest, let this pain of mine go."_

_"You cannot rest if you're truly still in deep pain inside. You have to move on. You know you're not finished yet. You know well that you have to remain strong."_

_"Why are you telling this to me anyway?"_

_"You have been given another chance. Take this given chance to prove what you are, who you really are, to find your own destiny."_

_"But I let everyone down. How can I redeem myself again if I know I cannot?"_

_"There is always hope at the end of the tunnel even though it may seem impossible to see that hope. You just have to reach for it. You have to break through the obstacles and challenges in your path in order to grab it. You have to pursue that hope."_

_"Hope? Pursue?"_

_"You must believe."_

_"Believe…?"_

Then that voice of encouragement spoke throughout the unknown and eternal, yet calming void of darkness. It echoed.

_"It's not too late to be different from him. Every situation, good or bad, provides an opportunity to help us to truly find ourselves and become better people. You must move on…Bardock…Father."_

After these words were spoken, he had never felt so enlightened in his life. They all made sense to him. When he heard this familiar voice, he felt his strength building up inside his heart once again with renewed faith and hope. That voice was right. Deep inside, he cannot give up. He must move on and he will.

A bright light suddenly pierced through the silent darkness.

Beneath the shadows of stillness, a figure was lying on the floor helplessly. He trembled so much that he could barely get up. He was almost numb from experiencing too much pain, but it was quickly going away.

When he opened his eyes, he did not know where he was. His vision was blurred at first. What he only knew and can remember was that memory and that voice. Were they all real?

"Where am I?" he asked himself, his voice weak and very inaudible.

The atmosphere of this unknown place in which he found himself in was quite calm and silent, but it felt a bit disturbing as well when he sensed these tensed and sad feelings in the air. The man finally stood up, trying to fight the pain he was feeling.

He breathed quite heavily. Helping himself to walk and maintain his balance, he placed a hand on the steel walls, his feet taking little steps at a time. Not too long, he found himself walking in a long hallway with dimmed lights above, and they were his only guide in the darkness. The atmosphere remained quiet. He could only hear his footsteps.

He stopped for a moment while closing an eye. "What is this place-?" he began, but he was interrupted by another person within the dark shadows.

"Stay still, you servant of Frieza," that voice commanded firmly.

"What?" the injured man looked up, speaking much louder this time, and he showed surprise by the sound of his own voice as if it had been years he last spoke a word. He turned around and who he saw appeared to be a young adult with goggles pushed back against his black hair. He looked human in form, but this could not be proven due to the color of his skin; his skin tone was more of a light reddish, pink color. He had a pistol in his hand. He looked very young in age. Why would someone like him be hanging around here in this dark place anyway?

"Stay still or I'll shoot you," the youth warned once again.

The injured man took a step forward. The word "Frieza" struck him. "What? Did you mention-?"

"Stop. I mean it. I swear," the young soldier warned again, hoping he would not have to hurt him though. Behind him, there were other people with him and they appeared to be his comrades.

"Yeah, don't bother getting any closer," one comrade said.

"Or else you will die right here," said another one.

The injured person looked at them closely. Judging by their faces, he realized most of them were teenagers and a few were little children. He assumed they were already trained for military purposes when he saw the clothing they wore and the weapons they were carrying. He wondered why this was the case though.

"You, servant of Frieza, killed our family and our friends," that same man with the pistol said, his voice now filled with anger.

He was a bit confused by what they were saying. He needed just a little more time for his mind to situate itself before he could think clearly. It really felt like he had awakened from a very long and deep slumber. "What the? Frieza? You-he-," he spoke again.

"Stop talking," another comrade interrupted angrily.

He knew he had to speak quickly. "Wait, Frieza's still alive?"

"Yeah, so what?" responded the youth with the pistol again. His face gave a slight confused look. "You think your master's dead? Of course not, you should know that. You're part of his crew, right?"

The wounded man was still bewildered, but there was one fact he knew of. "What are you talking about? I'm no servant of Frieza."

"Heh, lies won't carry us away. You know who you are!" one of the comrades said angrily.

"You _are_ a servant of Frieza," protested one young girl who was holding onto a toy bear.

"This is a misunderstanding," the wounded man argued, his mind finally getting back to place and his ears heeding more to such sounds. His voice was also becoming normal again. "Why would I be a servant of Frieza in the first place? If only I had a choice, I would've never chosen that path. Frieza betrayed us all. Us, Saiyans!"

"What?" the man then suddenly became so shocked that he accidentally dropped his pistol on the floor. "A Saiyan…?" he said to himself.

A brief flashback suddenly occurred.

"_You betrayed us all. Us, Saiyans! I…won't let you live any longer!"_

"_Hmph…stubborn monkey. You should have never underestimated my power…Bardock!"_

The flashback quickly ended.

The man now had an interested expression. "Are you…?"

"Put your weapons down," their attention was caught by another voice from behind.

"Zeshin," the young adult said, the one who dropped the pistol. Zeshin happened to be their leader in this crew of his. He was wearing almost the same kind of uniform as his friends were wearing only with a different color and style. He also wore two silver shoulder plates. He had spiky, black hair that was tied at the back of his head.

Zeshin calmed his companions down. He pushed his goggles up against his hair. "Everything's okay. This man is no servant of Frieza, I sense," he then turned to the injured person. "I must ask. Who are you?" he asked the unknown guest. He stepped forward to get a better look at him.

The man felt his mind was still slightly in pain that he could not remember just about anything at this moment, for now. He shook his head a little, finally bringing an answer to his question. "…Bardock…," he finally responded. Still, he could not believe he actually survived after all! He remembered that memory he had; himself floating in deep darkness and hearing that voice. Was it all true? Is it because of that voice the reason why he was still breathing and alive?

Bardock was beyond surprised. He was still here.

Zeshin's eyes widened. He and his companions were very familiar with that name. It was a name of honor and valor.

"Bardock? So, it's true. Word was spread that you're the one who faced Frieza and his entire army alone," Zeshin said who was just as surprised as Bardock was.

Bardock paused for a moment, his eyes covered by shadows. "How do you know?" he asked.

Zeshin himself did not say anything for a while. He then sighed a little and replied, "I asked a few members of my crew to investigate what was going on in Planet Frieza where that emperor lived. Instead, they found another planet and there, they saw you face-to-face with that evil tyrant himself. When Frieza released some kind of a deadly attack, my allies had to leave quickly before they could get hurt. They reported the situation to me. The last thing they saw was you getting caught into Frieza's dangerous attack."

Bardock looked at them again, his eyes still covered in dimmed shadows. He was quite curious by what he said; he needed to ask him, "Hold on, why you were there? What were you doing trying to find Planet Frieza anyway?"

Zeshin sighed once again, but more heavily this time. Bardock immediately saw a hint of hatred and sorrow in his eyes. Zeshin admitted, "It's a topic I can't really talk about, but I can tell you one thing," he suddenly tightened his fists. "Frieza's the one who destroyed _our_ home planet. We hate him so much when he did this unforgivable fault. We decided we wanted to confront Frieza for ourselves to swear revenge. We were able to locate him, but right after what my comrades saw, we realized we're nowhere close in strength to face such a perilous monster."

He put his head down, sounding both enraged and saddened at the same time. "I know we were foolish and impulsive to risk our lives like that, but you can't blame us for feeling like this. Frieza destroyed everything what we called our home! We're the only ones left here."

Zeshin then angrily turned his head the other way. As his other comrades were reminded again of this tragedy that befell them, they also lowered their heads in deep sadness.

Bardock gasped silently. He was able to recall that tyrant's malevolent face of greed. He remembered those memories of him being caught into Frieza's deadly ball of energy. He then thought about what Zeshin had just said, and he cannot believe that Frieza would hurt even young and small, innocent children. He almost painted a picture the unacceptable pain these kids went through. Bardock saw the ache in Zeshin's gloomy eyes as well as the rest of his comrades, and he understood how hurt they were.

Bardock used to have this reputation of being a cold and distant warrior at times, but after going through major changes in his life, he had become more understanding and sympathetic; therefore, he can feel their suffering.

He looked at the floor for a moment and he switched to another topic. "Wait, where am I by the way?"

Zeshin looked up. "While traveling in space, our ship picked up by one of its sensors a floating body surrounded by a pile of space debris, which appeared to be you, but we thought you were one of Frieza's men at first. You actually entered inside our invisible ship since our walls contain a special material that lets anything in organic. When you came inside, we armed ourselves to eliminate you. Guess it was a misunderstanding," he answered, feeling a little bit guilty.

Bardock thought about what he said for a moment. Floating in space? But for how long? It did feel like he was in a very deep sleep, but he was not that sure. "Tell me, how long has it been since this whole incident happened?"

"Incident? It has been twenty years…"

The Saiyan warrior was stricken with so much shock, that he had been floating in space for twenty years! He just could not believe it. He thought he was just dreaming. How he managed to survive and sleep for a very long time without anything terrible happening to him for those two decades. He had a strong feeling that someone must have protected him or he was just extremely lucky to have survived. Another possibility was that he could have gone into some kind of dimension that led him here, but he found this to be more difficult to believe in.

Or maybe even more impossible to believe in, did he moved into the future?

"I know it's hard to believe," Zeshin said, trying to sound calm and cool; however, he was also surprised to hear that Bardock had been asleep in space for two long decades.

After Bardock quickly recovered from his shock, he asked questions again about the tyrant. "Where's Frieza? Do you know what he's been doing lately?"

"All we know is that Frieza's continuing with his evil deeds; conquering and collecting all the planets he could find," replied Zeshin, but his voice was filling with rage again. "Like I told you before, he invaded our own planet; killed most of our family and friends. That tyrant…," he clenched his fist tightly again. "That's why we're always alert to our surroundings. You never know what or who will come even in the most unexpected times."

Zeshin's other companion did not say anything at all.

Bardock was taken to quick, silent anger, but kept it all bottled up inside. Even these past two decades, Frieza continued with his horrible deeds; killing innocent lives and even innocent children. The truth was, Bardock kind of hated seeing other people getting massacred especially if they were innocent and ignorant of the outside world. Ironically, Bardock was once a Saiyan soldier who did not hesitate to kill, yet, gradually, it began to hurt him instead. It pained him too much. He knew it was very wrong. He felt guilty as well that he realized this just now.

In no later time, Bardock had quickly made a decision what his next course of action will be. He was still determined enough. He remembered that vision again, that voice speaking in his mind, encouraging him to move on. He knew what he had to do and believed this was his destiny. "All right, please listen up. I need to find Frieza. I'm not done with that arrogant fool yet."

When Zeshin heard this, he refused to allow him. "No way. You can't. Frieza possesses great power and he can kill you in an instant if he wanted to. He's the most powerful being in the universe! Even the strongest will be defeated!"

However, Bardock shook his head. "Strong or not, the weakest ones will be able to defeat their superiors if they work hard enough and believe in themselves."

When he heard these words, they made a lot of sense to the worried Zeshin. He lowered his head for a moment while the little girl with the cuddly teddy bear, who seemed to be one of his relatives, came close and held his knees.

"Should we let him?" asked the small girl softly.

Zeshin took another moment to think about it. Bardock was taking this huge risk, but some risks must be taken. One thing he knew for sure though, Bardock was indeed strong and brave. Afterwards, he gave a relieved smile. "I think so, Emi. It's the only way."

Emi smiled back, agreeing with him as well.

However, the one who first met Bardock disagreed with his friend's decision. "Zeshin, are you insane? You mean you're gonna let him go and find Frieza for himself?"

Zeshin shook his head, knowing Bardock was right in making this decision. "I'm sorry, but this warrior, Bardock, appears to be very strong from the outside and within; just like he said: if you work hard enough, you can overcome your opponents. And he's right. I think it's about time that the terror and wrath of Frieza ends now!"

His companion soon gave a smile. He thought about what he said and he finally came to an agreement with him. "I guess you're right."

"Thanks, Bun. I knew you'd understand," Zeshin thanked his friend. He then asked the rest of his companions. "Who's with me?!"

And all of them, every young child and teen, leaped into the air and yelled, "Yeah!" with a lot of faith and high hopes for a better future and better lives.

Bardock smiled, loving to see the new generation becoming a lot more determined than the past ones.

"All right," Zeshin faced Bardock, now wanting to help him with his travels. "We're gonna give you our latest spaceship ever. This spaceship is easy to use and can travel great distances."

"Good. Just what I need," Bardock told them, rubbing his chin. "But wait, how could you fit those in here?"

"Oh, they're designed for only one person to use; therefore, the ships are quite small, but they carry very adept and complex functions. Not to mention, if you see our own ship from the outside, it's pretty big and spacious and it can fit all of those in here. Follow me," Zeshin and his crew accompanied Bardock to the core of their spacecraft, which was a room full of these small spaceships they made.

They arrived there and Bardock was astonished to see many of these mini-spaceships parked in perfect rows. They were all designed differently under very unique functions, each having its own special capability. Bardock almost cannot believe a bunch of kids could make such genius inventions.

Zeshin pointed out the ship Bardock will be using. "Here you go. This is the latest model. It took months for this baby to function well. Well, it's yours."

Bardock looked at the ship closely, examining its features. It almost looked dome-shaped and its material was made of steel and metal to keep the walls strong and intact. Bardock then took the flight of stairs that ran on the side of the spaceship. He slowly opened the door, observing the interior. It had four rooms: one led to the kitchen and bedroom; two led to the bathroom; three led to the spaceship controls; and the last one led to a training room. The training room was a place for those who wanted to practice their fighting skills. Bardock did not expect for this type of room to be present. He merely saw this as a coincidence given that he was a fighter himself. This was good news for him since he needed to get back to training especially after twenty years of doing nothing, but float in space. All of these ships he had seen here definitely reflected the high intelligence of these children.

Bardock had a smile on his face, yet he cannot help but feel very anxious to do this mission. Nevertheless, he was doing it for the sake of everyone especially those who had become victims of that heartless tyrant.

"Well, I'm off," he calmly said, ready to leave.

But Zeshin stopped him for a bit. "Um, excuse me."

"Yeah?" Bardock turned around, facing them again.

"Would you like to change your clothes at least?" the nervous Zeshin chuckled quietly, trying to hold his laughter as well his other companions. The intensity of Frieza's Death Ball had torn off Bardock's clothes, leaving only his boxers on and his red bandanna around his forehead. Bardock did not seem to notice it until when Zeshin had mentioned it. He looked funny, they thought.

Bardock slowly looked down at the floor. "Uh, well, sure, why not?" he said with embarrassment while he scratched his head.

Zeshin's friend, Bun, quickly went out and then came back, giving Bardock a package of fresh, new clothes for him to wear. Bardock put it on as quickly as he could. Once he finished putting it on, it almost looked like that Bardock was now a part of Zeshin's crew due to his uniform. He was wearing a cream-white shirt along with black pants. He had black and yellow-colored boots that reached just below his knees and he also had fingerless gloves that lengthened up to his elbows. A silver-colored shoulder plate was also attached on his left shoulder.

"It'd be a good idea to take a shower, too," Bun said, chuckling a little. "It'll be nice to freshen yourself up after all these years."

Bardock also chuckled under his breath. "Don't worry. I take care of myself well in that department."

After Bardock was all settled and ready to go, Zeshin and his companions bid him a farewell.

"All right," Zeshin said. "Take care."

"Be safe," Bun waved.

"Good luck," Emi happily waved, too, with a cute smile on her face.

"Defeat Frieza!" the rest of the crew shouted, giving him a boost of morale.

"Yeah," Bardock made a proud fist with the strength of his mind and heart building more after receiving encouragement and support from these young children. He went inside the ship, but Zeshin called him again.

"Wait, Bardock! I forgot to tell you something," he yelled, hoping that he was able to get his attention in time.

"What is it, Zeshin?" responded Bardock, hearing his friend.

"Keep in mind that when you're traveling, it may take days, weeks or even months to get whichever planet or galaxy you're heading off to. It all depends on how far it is. The world out there is vast and huge, you know. We don't really know where Frieza is exactly, so we're not sure how long it'll take you to get to him."

"Does it matter?" the Saiyan asked them. "What matters is that we find Frieza as soon as possible, even if it takes years."

"You're right. We shouldn't worry," he said, agreeing with Bardock.

"Thanks for all your help," Bardock appreciated their kindness.

"Farewell! Goodbye!" the rest all shouted at once, giving the anxious Saiyan some more confidence and hope in him.

Bardock proceeded to the interior of the ship while closing the entrance door behind him. He sat down on the passenger's seat and fastened his seatbelt. After studying the device that will start up the ship, he kept in mind which controls he will need to use. "All right, need to press this and that. And a few buttons and go," he then pressed the main button of the machine.

A machine voice was activated. "Please state your destination."

"Destination to Planet Frieza," Bardock told the computer.

The machine was able to recognize the planet and it started to analyze the data for it and calculate its location coordinates.

"Destination to Planet Frieza. At your current location, it would take you approximately two months to arrive there. Planet Frieza is located at coordinate: YX92 3ZXY 98XX. Departing in three minutes," a graph was then shown on the screen; a holographic image of Planet Frieza was drawn with its information and data about its total land, total water, economy, and other useful information listed inside a text box.

Bardock was quite surprised. "Two months? Huh, and to think I was in space for twenty long years. Something must've happened that got me closer to Frieza now. Well, I hope two months are enough for me to get stronger. This is it," he said to himself, his hands gripped on the arm rests. "Frieza, I'm coming for you and this time, I won't go down that easily. I will show you the true power of a Saiyan."

Though seemed determined and very strong, this terrible flashback in his mind continued to remain there. He can still remember that burning pain hurting his whole body as well as the malicious laughter of Frieza. Bardock tightened his fists more and he promised that he will defeat the tyrant no matter what the costs were. He wanted to make him pay for everything that he had done after betraying the entire Saiyan race as well as the other races out there that he, too, had cruelly mistreated and destroyed.

Three minutes quickly passed and in the last ten seconds, the machine began its countdown. "…three, two, one, take-off initiate."

The ship began its take-off and while it did so, slight vibrations can be felt under the floor. At last it took off, leaving a few black marks from its blast on the ground. The spaceship traveled very quickly, heading for the exit door and leaving a spark of light at the beginning and end. It then disappeared afterwards with great force left behind.

Bun, Zeshin, and the rest of their comrades watched as their friend, Bardock, left.

"We're counting on you, Bardock. Defeat Frieza!" Zeshin said; his hopes were all on Bardock now.

"I know some day, Frieza will be eliminated for good," Bun strongly believed. "How about we train ourselves, too, so we can beat Frieza if he ever stands in our way."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's do it!" Zeshin agreed with Bun without any questions at all.

"Yeah!" and the rest jumped for joy, feeling the excitement for their soon-to-be-victory they had waited for so long.

Bardock watched the stars as he passed them, his body feeling the ship's unbelievable speed. Many meteorites and shooting stars were scattered across the endless universe and they were shining vividly.

When he calmed more of his mind, his eyes then suddenly widened when he remembered something very important. He quickly sat up, running his fingers on his forehead and he felt this soft cloth tied around it. With both of his hands, he slowly untied this cloth and stared at this piece of fabric. He realized it was his red bandanna.

"It's still here," Bardock whispered. He was staring at it very intently as more memories about his home planet slowly came back to his mind. This was the bandanna marked with the memorable blood of his fallen comrades. His comrades had been with him ever since he became a Saiyan soldier. They were his best friends and they stuck with him through thick and thin; however, they died because of Frieza's men whom were, at that time, planning to exterminate the entire Saiyan race according to their tyrant's wishes. That was twenty years ago and even now, it still pained Bardock to realize that his comrades were long gone. In fact, he felt guilty that he was not able to protect them before. But now, he believed he was much stronger. He knew up above, they were all watching him, counting on him to defeat Frieza this time. He could almost hear their endless cheers. He did not want to let them down.

"Borgos…Shugesh…Fasha…Tora," he spoke his friends' names one by one, remembering their days with them. Their support, their loyalty, their unique personalities, and most of all, their friendships were lying within the changed and renewed Saiyan warrior, Bardock, and they will continue on for eternity.

Bardock then remembered everyone he secretly cared for. He was given another chance to redeem himself, to prove who he truly was. He will take this chance. He will remain for the goals he must accomplish. He remembered that voice, which had encouraged him to move forward. He knew he cannot think about past. He must move on, strongly believing he will soon see a brighter future ahead.

"This is…the time…," Bardock knew at this moment he would have to face many challenges, but he can overcome them if he were to just work hard enough and have more faith in himself. He smiled once more, clenching his proud fists tightly in determination.


	2. Mysterious Threat

Episode 2

Mysterious Threat

Few days had gone by and during those days, Bardock had done nothing but train. He was practicing his skills for hours and hours now without any kind of rest or sleep. In his ship, he spent most of his time in the training room, which happened to have a gravity room as well. This was a room which will allow the user to change the intensity of gravity to his or her liking. The user can have a maximum of 120 times gravity. The heavier the gravity was, the stronger the person will be if he or she was able to overcome it. Again, Bardock thought about the children and their genius ideas, that they were really upping the standards of martial arts training.

"Hyah!" he shouted. After he threw a punch, he quickly did another combination of moves. He was undergoing at least 50xG, five times more gravity than his home planet had. He was perspiring greatly, but he can still move his body quite well. The flooring looked slightly damaged after receiving damage from some of his energy blasts. Bardock's wounds were beginning to heal as well. In addition, he was easily becoming used to this gravity.

Bardock fired a strong energy blast at the end. It spun around the training room, intending to hit Bardock, but he stood there and concentrated his body and mind.

"This one…I won't dodge!" he said to himself, breathing heavily.

When the blast was about a foot away from him, Bardock shouted to increase his defense and keep his body firm. The energy wave met with him and it detonated, resulting into ashes. Bardock felt a lot of pain. It stung quite a lot, but he tried to overcome this. He then realized what he had just done was a little too much, he immediately felt a little over-fatigued. He fell to the floor, trying to catch his breath.

"Come on, I can't rest now," Bardock tried to get up from his knees, wanting to train more. He only had two months to make himself stronger; therefore, he cannot waste any time. He was about to stand up until he started to feel strangely uneasy. He found himself struggling to lift his legs, but the floor seemed to be pulling him harder than before.

"I can't get up?" he asked himself. Bardock quickly looked at the gravity status on the controls and realized the rate of gravity had abruptly increased to 60xG without the means of adjusting anything.

"What the heck? I didn't even lay a finger on the controls," he said, but then he might know what the problem might be. He took a glimpse out of the window and noticed a radical thunderstorm raging outside.

"…no way. Not now!" Bardock gasped in surprise and shook his head. It was just the beginning of a serious weather: A Nebula Magnetic Storm. It was a tempest that can randomly, but dangerously malfunction almost anything especially devices, machines, and apparatuses; anything that contained some sort of machinery and electricity. Due to this storm, it was dramatically changing the rate of gravity in the training room.

"So this is what's causing it," Bardock growled. "The Nebula Storm is the source for this me-mess!" he suddenly groaned in pain and felt himself being pulled again for the gravity had increased to more than sixty. The numbers were going up and down rapidly. Sometimes, it returned to 50xG and then a random number of 80xG. At one point, it even rose up to 100xG.

"Ugh! I can't get up!" he struggled, trying to defy this demanding gravity, but it was still no use for the Saiyan warrior. He did not expect for this to happen now. He regretted that he should have never over-trained.

"I need to turn off the controls somehow before something bad happens!" he told to himself very worriedly. He continued to struggle with all of his might, knowing every second counted.

Far beyond the shooting stars and explosive, yet silent shockwaves in space, millions of miles away, a planet was showed. It was in the vicinity of other neighboring planets and blazing stars of new and old. It was surrounded with many white and twinkling celestial bodies like fireworks painted on a black canvas. This planet appeared to be seldom, yet the most beautiful planet ever; a planet of lush blue, white, and green colors.

Entering through the dark space and cosmetic dusts, then through the eternal skies, and then finally within the many lands and seas and oceans…

"_Gohan! Gohan!" _a voice of a woman echoed throughout the sea green forests with the sun's rays shining across the fields.

"_I'm right here!" _a voice of a child replied from a far distance. An adorable kid ran to the young lady who was calling him.

The two were surrounded with forests and open meadows. The fields bloomed with flowers and fresh air. Near the fields was a river bank. There was also a house that was within all this scene of greenery, and what was even more beautiful, their home was on the top of a mountain.

"Gohan?" the beautiful female asked, her eyes twinkling. Her hair was tied in a bun with bangs sticking out from her ears. She was wearing a mix of traditional martial arts and Chinese clothes. "Did you do your math homework including your science?" she asked. "I think you needed to do a quick project, right?"

"Don't worry, Mommy. I did all of them," the boy named to be Gohan answered while he wiped out the dirt and dust from his clothes. He had an adorable, innocent-like face. He was wearing a yellow coat with a symbol at front as well as a red hat on top of his head. Behind him, he had a tail that was moving from side-to-side.

"That's very good. Oh, how your mommy is so proud of you," she smiled. She was always proud about her son's accomplishments in his studies. "Now, you have to go along with your dad now. You need to be early for your reunion. Goku!" the woman then called out to the skies.

A man then jumped out of sight from the shadows of the forests and came sprinting with light spreading on his gorgeous face. He had wild, spiky, black hair and he was wearing an orange and blue martial arts uniform. His body was built and muscular as he had gone through a lot of training in his life.

"Hey, I'm back, Son," the man named Goku greeted his family. He was carrying firewood in his hands and he placed them near their front door. "Hey, Chi-Chi, here's the firewood you asked for."

"Thanks a lot, Goku," Chi-Chi said.

Goku then placed his hands on his hips and asked his son with a wide grin, "So, you ready to go for our reunion, Gohan? I bet you're excited, I'm sure!"

"I'm ready," Gohan happily said.

"All right, now I want you all back before dinner starts," Chi-Chi told them. "I don't want it to get cold. By the way, tonight's dinner is going to be dim sum, your favorite!"

"Dim sum! Yummy!" Gohan patted his stomach.

"I could just taste it right now," Goku said, smacking his lips. "All right, Chi-Chi, we're off. Nimbus!"

When Goku called "Nimbus" in the skies, a yellow cloud that was really shaped like a nimbus came into view, flew, and stopped beside Goku. Nimbus had acted as a vehicle transportation system for Goku ever since he was child for he did not know how to fly before. Both he and the cloud developed a strong friendship and had been great companions ever since. Although clouds were supposed to be only objects, just non-living things, they were clouds like Nimbus in which they acted alive, like a human.

Goku and Gohan hopped on its puffy, silk-like cushion.

"See ya later, Chi-Chi," Goku said while holding onto his son tightly.

"Bye, Mom," waved Gohan.

"Bye! Make sure you take care of yourselves," Chi-Chi waved back.

"Nimbus, go!" Goku exclaimed. The cloud followed his orders and flew away, the three faintly disappearing in the sapphire-colored skies.

"Goku, be careful! You too, my baby!" Chi-Chi said one more time before they left. She then sighed. "Aah, I'm gonna worry myself to death. Oh…," she went back inside.

Goku was known to be one of the greatest fighters in Earth, possessing superhuman strength. He had gone through so many battles in his life, defeating many powerful opponents, and these experiences he had always made him stronger from the in and out. When he became an adult, he married Chi-Chi whom he met when he was a small boy. Chi-Chi was the daughter of Ox-King. Sweet, kind, but also firm and tough, she used to be a fighter, but now, she was living a much simpler life in the mountains with Goku, in this small place called "Mount Paozu." Soon, they started a family and had Gohan, a shy, yet intelligent boy who had always worked diligently on his studies for he dreamt of becoming a scholar one day.

_Chirp! Chirp!_

The chanting of birds made nature itself even more peaceful, and Goku and Gohan saw these birds flying with them. They watched the beautiful horizons while Nimbus took the two to high altitudes and elevations. Gohan stretched his arms to feel the breeze blowing on his plump face. With his hands, he tried to touch this flock of seagulls that were flying with them. Goku enjoyed the scenery as well with a relaxed smile on his face.

"Wow, look, Daddy, seagulls!" Gohan pointed to one of the birds with excitement, which, to him, they symbolized freedom.

"It's a nice sight, isn't? Would you like to touch one, Gohan?" Goku asked his son.

"Really? Of course I do!" the child eagerly nodded.

Goku then held up his hand into the open-air. Some of the seagulls were too afraid to approach him, but one curiously settled on his palm. Once it was on Goku's hand, Gohan then went ahead to touch the seagull's yielding feathers and tail. Its coat felt warm and smooth. After Gohan enjoyed petting the seagull, Goku then released it back into the wild and watched as it returned to its flock and flew away. He then looked down and saw a small house that said "Kame House" on the front. It was within a very small and secluded island.

"Here we are, Gohan. Nimbus, head to that island over there," Goku told his trusted cloud. Nimbus obeyed and took landing. Once the cloud arrived, it floated an inch above the sands of the tiny atoll. With Goku carrying Gohan around his arms, he hopped off from Nimbus and said, "Thanks, Nimbus. I'll be calling you later."

The cloud took flight and vanished into the skies.

"Hello! Anyone home?" Goku called out, approaching the house.

After waiting for a while, three people then came out from the door including a huge turtle beside them. The first one was named Krillin who was bald with six dots on his forehead and he was wearing a similar uniform like Goku's. He was originally a monk warrior of the Orin Temple. Krillin is a great friend of Goku ever since they first met as kids and as martial arts classmates and still today, they continued their strong friendship. Next, there was a young woman named Bulma with blue short hair and she was wearing summer clothes. Bulma is also a friend of Goku and also the daughter of Doctor Briefs, the founder of Capsule Corporation. She possessed a tomboyish and hot-tempered attitude, but with a brain so intelligent than the average human. She was the kind of person no one should mess with, but overall, she was kind and helpful just as long you do not push the wrong button on her. The next one was an elderly man named Master Roshi with a long white beard and mustache. He was wearing casual, yellow shorts, a green polo shirt, and cool glasses while carrying a wooden stick in his hand. He was the former master of Krillin and Goku when they were children, who trained them under the art of the Turtle Hermit. He also had a perversion side of him, the type who liked to flirt around with young ladies, yet he was also wise as long there are no young, attractive ladies around to distract hm. The last one was Turtle, a good friend and a long-time companion of Master Roshi. Turtle is an animal that can actually talk. All of them, Krillin, Bulma, Master Roshi, Turtle, and Goku had gone through so many amazing and thrilling journeys in the past.

"Goku, is that really you?" Krillin asked with amazement. He had not seen his best friend for a long time.

"Yep, it's me," Goku replied with a cheer on his face. "It's been a while, huh?"

Bulma gave a wide smile. She was quite surprised to see him. "Hey, Goku, long time no see," she said while observing him from head to toe. "Wow, you haven't aged a bit since the day you and Chi-Chi got married."

Goku nodded in agreement. "That's very true, but that's a good thing, right? So how are things going between you and your boyfriend, Yamcha?"

Bulma suddenly had one of her mood swings. She became irritated and she gritted her teeth together. "Oh! Might as well don't talk about him. He's been such a cheater!"

"A cheater?" Goku tilted his head to the side with a confused expression.

Krillin chuckled nervously. He did not want Bulma to go berserk or anything at this time, not during their reunion today; therefore, he said to his friend, "Nah, forget about it, Goku. It's not that important."

Goku easily shrugged it off. He then turned to his former master. "And how are you, Master Roshi?"

"I'm fine indeed," Master Roshi answered. "Turtle's been great, too."

Turtle gave a wave with his flipper.

"My, look at you Goku," Master Roshi approached him with his walking stick. "You look very well and healthy. I could guess that you haven't slacked off in your training."

"Not one bit, hah, hah!" Goku laughed.

Krillin then crossed his arms and gave a smirk. "You _better _not slack off in your training, Goku, 'cause I've been doing some myself, you know."

Goku chuckled a little. "Heh, heh, I see. Maybe when we have time, we can spar and let's see who's gonna win the match."

Krillin was certain of himself, he told him, "I'm confident that I'll win! Hah, hah!" he laughed.

Suddenly, Bulma's attention was caught when she noticed the young child around Goku's arms. "Oh, Goku, who's that kid you're holding?"

Krillin finally noticed him, too, and he asked, "Are you trying to babysit or something? If so, that's kinda surprising considering you never had a job before," he found this to be quite unusual. Knowing his friend, he never had any job experience or perhaps he never had time to apply for one; or maybe he was just too lazy or he never had the proper skills for any job. Goku's "profession" was only a fighter. He had fought countless battles against strong enemies that had tried to conquer the Earth before. Other than that, it seemed like this was his only specialty: just training and fighting.

Goku gave another soft smile and responded with the easiest and simplest answer ever. "…he's my son."

Everybody's eyes grew huge as if they were going to pop out. Their jaws almost dropped to the ground. "WHAT?! He's your son?!" they all yelled.

"Surprising, isn't it? His name is Gohan," Goku introduced him to his fellow friends.

"I see. So you named him after your grandfather," Master Roshi realized, fixing his glasses to observe Gohan closely, particularly his face. He could definitely see the resemblance between him and his father.

Grandpa Gohan was Goku's adoptive grandfather. He found Goku in a forest when he was a baby, crying and wailing helplessly, needing care and love. His grandfather had no idea how Goku got there, but since then, Grandpa Gohan took care of him like his own grandchild. He also taught him a little bit of martial arts. Unfortunately, Grandpa Gohan had to go, but at least the teachings he gave to Goku helped him to take care of himself. Goku lived on his own with no one else to take care of him, but he continued to grow strong, happy, and healthy. The only problem was that when Goku was growing up, he was living like a caveman, who was ignorant of the outside world. He was like an animal who only knew how to survive, which explained his lack of knowledge about the human world before. When Goku first met Bulma, he thought that the car she rode in was an elephant! He also claimed to Bulma that she was the very first female he had ever met and that he had only come in contact with humans just twice: her and his adoptive grandfather. This was a severe shock to Bulma, but thanks to her and the rest of Goku's friends whom he met along the way, after encouraging Goku to finally explore what the outside world like, he was taught well and he began to understand how the human world works.

Krillin scratched the back of his head. "Man, Goku, you've isolated yourself for too long. Why didn't you try to call us or something when your son was born?"

Goku could only chuckle to himself. "Sorry, I think that was kinda my fault, but hey, here he is now," he looked at his son and playfully touched his nose. "Not only did I name him after my grandpa, but I also gave him the four-star DragonBall that I used to keep back home. He can keep it," he said, briefly fixing his son's hat this time.

Goku's adoptive grandfather had given him a lustrous, orange-colored DragonBall with four red stars on it as a remembrance of the grandfather who loved and took care of him. And now, Goku had decided to pass this piece of memory to his son. The four-star DragonBall was actually attached on top of Gohan's red hat.

Bulma approached the two while she clasped her hands together with delight. "I'm so glad I'm able to meet your son, Goku! Look at him. He looks so cute!" she exclaimed sweetly.

Gohan felt some blushes on his cheeks, but when Goku placed him on the ground, he was startled and he quickly hid behind his legs since this was his first time seeing his father's friends.

"Gohan, go ahead and say 'Hi' to them," Goku whispered to him with a smile, assuring him that everything was going to be fine. Soon, Gohan slowly emerged from his legs and he greeted everyone with respect.

"H-hello, good morning, everyone," Gohan said very timidly.

Bulma, Krillin, and Master Roshi, including the aged Turtle, greeted him back.

"Nice to meet you, Gohan," Krillin said and pointed to himself. "I'm one of your dad's friends. My name's Krillin."

"And I'm Bulma," she introduced herself.

"Welcome, I'm Roshi," he quickly bowed his head.

Bulma went closer to Gohan and she continued to say with delight, "It's so nice to meet you! Can you tell me how old you are?" she crouched down to level with him.

Gohan counted with his tiny fingers and held up four. "I'm four and a half."

"Hmm, you being the son of Goku and all, I bet you're gonna be a strong fighter like your dad when you get older, am I right?" Bulma softly smoothed out Gohan's hair. She was confident that he, too, will become an awesome martial artist one day.

However, Goku told her, "Well, Chi-Chi doesn't let him train."

Bulma was quite surprised to hear that. Goku was surely a great fighter who had fought many battles, but it was a bit strange for his own son to not "take up" that position. "Oh…martial arts are not allowed for you, huh? Do you have any ideas then what you want to be when you grow up, Gohan?" she asked, continuing to smooth out his hair.

Gohan replied in the most utmost decorum. "I'm not so sure, but I know I want to be a scholar. I also want to major in any science field. I'm thinking of becoming an orthopedist or a cytotechnologist."

Bulma's eyes widened a little. Even for a child at his age, he knew such complex vocabulary. She was a bit baffled by his professional-like response. "Wow, I'm impressed," she almost uttered quite uncertainly.

Master Roshi was also surprised by Gohan's decision. "Well, not bad for a kid who's making his own decisions when he grows up."

Goku knew the truth behind it though. "Well, Chi-Chi actually influenced Gohan to get into any kind of science field and to also take up scholarship; seems like he likes it."

Krillin, Bulma, and Master Roshi could see a resemblance between Goku and Gohan and that was mainly their looks, but their interests in life were completely different.

"Yeah, I know," Goku frowned a little. "Chi-Chi has been overprotective lately. She wants our kid to study a lot because she says martial arts are a waste of energy. She says she'd rather train Gohan's brains instead of his brawns."

"Really? Then what does make _us_ then?" Krillin asked with disappointment. It had been a long time since they fought together as great warriors to save the Earth from evil forces, but Chi-Chi never seemed to have realized and acknowledged the great deeds they had done.

"Hey, calm down," reassured Goku who kept on smiling. "I'll let Gohan study if that's what he wants. I kinda like the idea."

Turtle then came to Gohan curiously, but Gohan quickly backed away, afraid it would bite.

"I think he wants you to pat his head, Gohan," Goku whispered to his son.

Gohan hesitantly patted Turtle's head, but he was quickly relieved to know the old reptile was very docile and kind and so, he happily hopped on its shell. Turtle then carried Gohan around Kame House for a while

For a brief moment, Krillin watched Goku's son as he spent time with Turtle until he suddenly gasped in fright to notice something moving back and forth from Gohan's back. "Huh? Hold on! Isn't that-?"

"-a tail?!" Bulma happened to notice this as well and she was equally as surprised as Krillin was.

Goku nodded, not noticing the apparent frightened expressions on his friends' faces. "Yeah, he does have a tail. When Chi-Chi gave birth to Gohan, he was born with it. Just like me when I was young," he said happily with a continued smile, thinking nothing was actually wrong.

However, Bulma, Krillin, and Master Roshi knew something about the presence of this tail from the past. It was that very tail that gave them nightmares before.

"Oh, Goku! Tell me, nothing strange happens to him when it's night, I hope," Bulma said anxiously.

"Yeah, especially when there's a full moon?" Krillin added with more worry.

Goku cannot understand what they were getting at.

Master Roshi hurried to his former student and explained to him. "We're saying if Gohan has ever looked at a full moon when it's night!"

Goku slowly shook his head. "Not really. We go to bed pretty early…why ask?" he crossed his arms while staring at the blue skies, his mind picturing a full moon up there as his friends kept mentioning about it.

"Oh nothing! Just nothing! Phew!" his friends responded back, sighing with great relief.

Goku absolutely had no idea what they were talking about, but he suspected they knew of something he did not.

It was then Gohan was done touring with Turtle. He ran back to his dad and stood beside him with a cheerful beam. He was finally adjusting to this new environment and with Goku's friends, and he felt less timid now around them.

"I've been meaning to ask, Goku," Krillin began. "What are you gonna wish for if you thought about collecting all seven DragonBalls?" he asked, going back to the four-star DragonBall topic. He picked up a stone and threw it at the surface of the waters, watching it skip.

The seven DragonBalls were created to grant a person's wish; any kind of wish. The number of stars on a DragonBall is an indication what number it held. There are seven in total and when all seven are collected, the DragonBalls will awake an eternal dragon. Like a genie, the dragon will grant any wish.

"I'm not sure, if I think about getting all seven," Goku thought about it and picked up a stone, too. "To tell you the truth, I'm happy with what I have. I couldn't ask for anything better," he took his turn, also throwing the stone across the waters. Since his strength was beyond the roof, the rock dashed instead on the surface of the waters like a fast shooting star.

"Wow, amazing, Goku! You still have the strength!" Krillin praised his best friend.

Master Roshi's glasses shone. "_Outstanding…even though Goku has barely trained for the past few years, he's still powerful as ever."_

The outgoing Goku smiled while he watched the rock dashed through the seas, the waters flying off from the surface and glimmering under the rays of the sun. Goku knew he had an unbelievable amount of power that was almost abnormal, that no human possessed here on Earth, and he and his friends were very well-aware of this. They were times they wondered if Goku was really human. As for Goku, he did not mind at all about this incredible strength of his since he believed this was all natural to him. It may simply mean that he was just strong and he accepted this.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Goku's eyes widened. He was immediately on the alert to have abruptly sensed this strange vibe in the air. It startled and surprised him; he quickly glanced from left to right, trying to find out where he was picking up this unexpected power. What was worse…this power gave him that feeling that a predicament was about to occur.

"Something bad is heading straight for us," Goku anxiously told his friends.

Krillin and Master Roshi happened to feel this very same energy that Goku was sensing now.

"Yeah, I could sense it, too," Krillin agreed who was also getting nervous.

Bulma though tried to calm them down. "No worries. I'm sure it's just Tien, Chiaotzu, and maybe even Yamcha. Though I don't wanna see him at this time! How dare he shows his face after cheating on me!" she gripped her jacket tight and she stomped her feet.

"No, it's not them. This energy I'm sensing…it's too dark," Goku corrected her false prediction, his eyes still looking from every direction with silent anxiety.

Krillin turned to him. At such peaceful times like these, this was much unexpected. His eyes grew big; his heart pounding. He anxiously fixed his vision in the morning skies. "So it must mean-"

"-an enemy is coming," Goku warned seriously. His son, Gohan, heard this and he trembled. He clutched his father's legs for safety, and yet, he cannot rid of this fear he was having.

"Daddy, what's going? I'm scared," Gohan told him, his voice almost faltering.

"Just stay right behind me, Gohan," Goku murmured to his son, bringing him closer to him, trying to calm him down. The feeling of this ominous energy grew stronger by the second, and Goku was angered that something like this would happen now at such peaceful times and at the wrong timing as well; especially that his son was with him, he cannot let anything happen to his own child.

_Whoosh!_

A gust of wind blew, a faint light flashed out of nowhere, and in Goku's mind, it almost ached from just feeling out this intense and dark presence. Goku quickly looked up and spotted a small figure, which appeared to be already menacing even from such a far distance. A stature in dimness immediately headed straight for them, and it was flying. His eyes grew huge and he held his son more tightly, promising to himself that whatever unforeseen danger he was about to face now, he will protect his only beloved son.

Yet, despite of this courage Goku always showed, he was immensely afraid from the inside. Even keeping his son close to him, he was also quivering as much as his own child. He had never felt anything like this before and no doubt, this spelled trouble for all of them.

And then…it happened.

A mysterious man unhurriedly landed in front of them, placing his two feet on the ground one by one. He was wearing a mysterious-looking garb with an exotic, unusual device worn on his left eye. He had wild, bristly black hair that lengthened all the way to his hamstrings. His body was built and muscular, conditioned to fight mightily in any kind of battle like Goku's. The mysterious man crossed his arms and despite of his handsome looks, his lips pulled a menacing grin.

What captured Goku's attention the most was when he sensed this creature's life force inside of him. His power level…was terrifying.

"_Who is that?"_ Goku asked in his mind, observing this unwelcome guest from bottom to top. He had already begun to sweat and he could feel his palms shaking more; however, he tried to conceal all of this.

_"Whoever this guy is, he doesn't look like a tourist to me,"_ Krillin thought. His body was already in a stance that showed he was prepared to take serious action if needed.

Bulma and Master Roshi kept in the back, trying not to move a muscle. They also kept their eyes on Gohan to make sure that he will be safe.

The unknown creature with a serious expression had his gadget started to calculate numbers in a different language. Goku realized that the eyes of this mysterious person were already focused on his the moment he set foot on this island. What was it about him that made this person have interest in him?

His appearance already boded an ill omen. He finally spoke. "We finally crossed paths," shadows were casted over his pupils, still looking straight into Goku's eyes. "You have grown."

"Huh?" Goku was surprised to hear that. Grown? Did this person…know him in any way? But he found this to be highly impossible.

"But I cannot mistaken you _are_ the one I've been looking for…Kakarot," he gave another sinister grin.

Goku blinked his eyes for a moment. That name struck him with wonder, but most of all, utter confusion. "Ka-Kakarot?" he repeated slowly.

"Correct. It is the name you've borne ever since," he said.

"His name?" Bulma asked.

"Who is this? He must be nuts," Krillin thought.

Turtle was scared stiff. He can already smell that this mysterious man cannot be trusted. Master Roshi sensed his friend's uneasiness and he whispered to him, "Hey, Turtle, it's best for you to go back inside! We'll take care of this."

Turtle nodded, understanding him. He hurriedly returned to Kame House without being seen to seek shelter.

Suddenly, the mysterious creature pointed at Goku and began to reprimand him for some reason. Goku cannot understand why he was acting like this as if this man knew him already. He definitely did not know who he was in return. He had never met him before.

"Kakarot, it has been many years since the day you were brought here and you still have not carried out your mission?" the angered man bickered. "You were supposed to terminate all life form in this planet. What were you doing all this time?"

Goku held his son even more as his own nervousness rose. The words he said made no sense at all. He glanced at Master Roshi and his friends, showing them how clueless he was. He was giving a look, asking them if they knew what this person was talking about, but his friends were just as clueless as him.

"Look, Mister," Krillin then interrupted. "It's kinda rude to interrupt us like that, but you obviously got the wrong person," he took a step further and asked him to leave, thinking this man was no threat at all. "If you're lost or something, just allow me to escort you back."

When Krillin approached him, Goku instantly felt the dark energy in the air becoming stronger once more. He quickly saw a faint light surrounding the man's waist and saw him pulled a wider, much sinister grin. Goku knew all of this meant trouble; he tried to warn his friend. "Wait, Krillin, stay away!" he yelled before it was too late.

But in just a flash, without any warnings, Krillin was suddenly struck by the unknown person. He was in serious pain and he crashed into Kame House, breaking some of its walls.

"Krillin!" Bulma and Master Roshi cried out.

Turtle saw this from the window and he became terrified. He covered his eyes with his flippers.

Gohan closed his eyes and he squeezed his father's legs more, trembling with fear.

"Krillin!" Goku yelled. He then quickly turned around and gave an angry glare to this violent being. "Why did you-h-huh?!" but his expression changed again. This time, he saw something from his back moving from side-to-side. He was shocked to know that it was a tail! And he used it to strike Krillin with it. This tail was very similar to Goku's tail when he used to have it!

"Huh? A-a tail? I-I can't believe it!" Goku stammered, remembering his past childhood. _"He has a tail just like me. Who is he?!"_

"Good, you finally recognized me," the mysterious man said whose tail continued to sway from side-to-side.

"What are you-? I-," Goku stammered again, not knowing what to say next. By instincts, he now tried to push Gohan away from him this time, to keep him closer in the background with his friends, knowing this place right now was not the best place for his son. Gohan hesitated to leave though and he continued grasp his father's legs very tightly.

"You don't look familiar to me at all," Goku declared.

"Gohan!" Bulma hurriedly snatched Gohan away from his father, hoping that this warrior had not seen him yet and would not start to have any thoughts of doing anything devious to Goku's innocent child.

"Kakarot," the sinister warrior questioned him with a firm voice. He was becoming angry again. "You mean you cannot recognize who I am?"

Goku finally knew what to say to him. He began to defend himself. "Whoever this 'Kakarot' is you're looking for, I'm _not_ him. My name is Goku," he said firmly, making his position clear.

The warrior was apparently shocked to hear his answer. "What? What are you saying?"

"Daddy!" Gohan cried out once more, pleading safeness from his father.

"Gohan, just stay back, please!" Goku immediately whispered to his frightened child.

The warrior was still in shock. He held an even more serious expression. He wanted to know what was going on with him. "Listen to me, Kakarot. Tell me, did you get a serious head injury when you were young?"

Master Roshi sparked some interest. He did consider something from the past about that.

"What?" Goku replied back, not understanding him.

"When you were a child, did you have a terrible accident which caused damage to your head?!" the warrior restated his question one more time.

"Daddy, Daddy!" Gohan continued to panic and cry out.

"Gohan!" Goku raised his voice this time, trying to calm his son down to somehow keep his own mind clear regardless of all the confusion and pressure he was under in now. The current situation, this mysterious warrior in front of him, the panic cries of his son, his friends' safety, his own anxiety, and the dangers he might face in the future, they were all just too much for him.

The angry warrior got more irritated for ignoring his question. "Did you heed to what I just said?!"

Goku stared at him for a long moment while taking a mental calmness of mind and a deep breath. Finally, he answered him in a more composed tone. "…yeah," he placed a hand on his head and felt a vague, old wound there that was covered by his hair. "It was a long time ago. It's too hard to even recall it, but you're right. I _did_ hit my head when I was a child. I still have a scar when it happened."

"You stupid fool! No wonder you had forgotten," the aggravated warrior reprimanded him again.

"I forgot what? Tell me!" demanded Goku, wanting an answer from him. He could not understand why he was acting like this as if they had known each other.

"Goku," Master Roshi sparingly called out from the frustrated crowd.

Both of the warriors quickly glanced at Roshi.

Master Roshi put his head down a little. He had been meaning to say this to Goku before, but he was not able to find the right situation for him to say it; however, today may be the day. Roshi finally said, "Your grandfather told me something before. We kept it hidden, but I think it's now the right time to say it," and so, he tried to retrace every utterance Goku's grandfather told him.

"Long ago, when your grandfather was taking a walk in the woods, he stumbled upon a crater that seemed to be recently made on the ground. When he examined more closely, he found inside that crater what it appeared to be a spaceship that was shaped like a pod. It was then that he found you inside of it. He didn't know how you got there, but he decided to adopt you and raise you like his own grandson. At first, when he took you in his arms, you had a carefree and playful nature; however, as days went by, you rapidly became disobedient, wild, and, to your grandfather's shock, abnormally strong for such a tiny one."

Goku and the mysterious warrior were immediately absorbed into Master Roshi's story.

"You didn't appreciate or even cared about your grandpa's kindness until one day, when your grandpa took you for a morning walk in the mountains, a terrible accident happened. You accidentally fell from a tall cliff and suffered a serious head injury. Your grandpa did everything to keep you alive. Every day, he always feared that he might have lost you. But then, a miracle happened. You survived! Yes, no human, no child, not even a baby could have possibly survived such a terrible accident, but you recovered and in just a few days, too! From that day on, you switched back to your playful and kind nature. You became a happy, loving boy."

Master Roshi finished with his brief, yet a story of significance. His glasses shone again, and he had a more serious expression.

At first, Goku could not believe that this was possible, but when he remembered about his own abnormal strength, about how mysteriously powerful he was than any other fighter here on Earth, he was beginning to see some truth behind Master Roshi's story. "Are you saying…I'm not…from here then? I came from…outer space?" at the end, he found himself struggling to speak those last words out.

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Okay, that rids a lot of confusion. Are you saying Goku and this guy have some sort of connection with each other?"

"I wish I knew," Master Roshi said quietly.

Goku slowly turned to the unwelcome man now. With a serious expression, he asked him. "You have my attention. Now we must know who you are. Why do you claim that you know me?"

The unknown being could only look down at the sands beneath him, his eyes showing nothing but apathy. "I did not really come here to give you a brief history lesson because you _should_ know who I am…and who you truly are…," once again, he stared at Goku with dark shadows casting over his eyes; a look so baleful and ominous.

Goku was feeling nervous again, but he tried to keep his valor unwavering.

"But I'll tell everything to you anyway if that's what it takes to make you remember," he said further. "And after I give the details to explain this 'mystery' to you apparently, ensure yourself you'll be coming back to work for us."

Goku was startled more, but he tried to keep a clear mind and thinking. Whatever he will say, he will surely not believe in his words especially that he and everyone else saw him as a heartless enemy. Goku promised he will protect his family and friends. He will make this warrior leave out of this planet with a lesson he will never forget. Whoever he was, he was not welcome here.

Soon, Krillin finally regained his posture. He wobbled and cautiously tried to get up from his knees. He tried to recover from his pain and shock. Bulma and Master Roshi including Turtle quickly went to Krillin's aid.

"Thanks, guys," Krillin said to the three of them. He groaned in pain, however, and felt a bit lightheaded.

"Krillin, you okay there, buddy?" Goku asked, concerned about his friend's condition.

"Yeah, careful, Goku. I can sense he's not…normal," Krillin warned him, rubbing the back of his aching head while staring into those eyes of this violent creature.

"Mmm-hmm. I agree with you," Goku understood him perfectly. "Something about him that turns my stomach into knots, even just standing and talking to him like this."

The warrior could only grunt. In his mind, they were all foolish enough especially Goku to not know who they were actually dealing with. "Hmph, such a pity. You should know better than to say harsh words. Careful, you're more like me than you realize," he said to Goku.

Everybody became speechless and even more afraid what this man might do next.

And so, this unknown being began to reveal everything to Goku; the whole truth about him, revealing him to every tiny detail and every little story. He began to tell Goku about the true nature of him…he once supposed to be from the very beginning.

"You were born on the planet, Vegeta, your home planet, many galaxies away from here. You were destined to be a _violent_…"

Goku's eyes slowly widened.

"…_merciless_…"

Goku's heart was pounding. He was shaking his head in disbelief, not believing this was all true.

"…_and a prideful fighter."_

And yet, there were times Goku had these deep, inner, unconscious feelings that he felt he was supposedly to be…evil in the first place; he felt that when he was a baby, even when he grew up a little; however, he had always dismissed them as tricks in his mind, only false imaginations, that he was just over-thinking about this, which held no special meaning. Once, he had felt that way even after the accident happened, which led him to become a good person instead. It was now a memory in his mind he cannot seem to forget; however, it was a _good_ thing he changed for the better! It was a good thing that accident happened! He thought.

"You are destined to be…a Saiyan warrior…just like me," the mysterious creature said.

Goku silently gasped.

"Huh?!" Bulma, Krillin, and Turtle exclaimed.

"Goku…!" Master Roshi worriedly said.

Gohan remained in Bulma's arms while she and her friends kept the young, innocent boy safe from harm's way. Gohan actually could not help but feel some tears falling out from his eyes already from experiencing too much fear in his fragile heart.

"We are related by blood. My name is Raditz…your older brother!" the warrior finally revealed who he was at last.

"…!" Goku was immensely shocked to know this. This man who he was confronting all along was his older brother!

The skies began to darken and grey clouds were rapidly covering the sun. It was a terrible omen that will soon yet to come.

"_Brother?!" _Goku repeated one more time in his mind with terror and dread.


	3. Through Space, Through Time

Episode 3

Through Space, Through Time

"He's Goku's brother?!" Krillin exclaimed.

"Goku," Bulma paused for a moment, "he looks like you," she can finally see some resemblance between the two brothers after taking a closer look.

Goku felt his heart pounding. He was under a state of shock. He could not believe what he just heard and subsequently, he refused to believe that Raditz was his older brother. If he was a kind and gentle-natured person, why was his older brother the exact opposite of him?

"Hold on! First of all, I don't even trust you!" Goku argued.

Krillin agreed with his friend's judgment. "Yeah, that's right! If he came from some other planet, then why is he here in the first place?"

Just hearing their words only made Raditz laugh; he felt more superior to all of them due to their complete ignorance. He told them that Goku was actually sent here in the first place to carry out a very important mission assigned to him since he was baby. He was supposed to destroy this planet in the first place, but, unfortunately for Raditz, it was a mission his younger brother had forgotten and failed to perform.

Raditz continued to reveal to Goku more about their renowned, superior race, the one called the "Saiyans."

"Kakarot is not human. He is a Saiyan. Saiyans are considered the most powerful and formidable race in the entire universe. Our main job is to scatter throughout different planets, conquer them, sometimes take them for our own, but mainly to bring high profits for the galactic markets that are willing to buy them," Raditz paused for a moment, remembering the Saiyans' works and efforts from the past.

He continued. "We take great pride for being efficient in our work. An example of what our job is like is, let's say, if a particular planet contains strong inhabitants, then a group of adult Saiyans are enough to take it over, but a planet that is frail, containing weaklings like this so-called Earth, a baby Saiyan is enough to carry out the order."

"You beast!" Krillin shouted at him angrily. "If that's what Saiyans are, then you guys are just a total abomination! Going around and taking planets for your own selfishness and greed!"

Bulma joined in the conversation. "How awful! I can't believe you'd send an innocent child all alone in space!" she said, embracing Gohan tighter into her arms. She was disturbed by how horrible these Saiyans were.

Raditz lent out another chuckle. It may be true, but unlike most extraterrestrial races, Saiyans can actually take care of themselves even at such a young age since they possess such immense power. It was also because of the fast development in their brains, that they are more intelligent and generally mature very quickly.

However, even giving them these history lessons about the renowned Saiyans only added more to his frustrations about his brother, believing that he had failed miserably to do that one mission that he was supposed to carry out in the first place, that will truly show what kind of a person he should be since the day he was born: a Saiyan warrior who strives to be the strongest, who puts emphasis onto power and pride.

To Raditz's eyes, Goku was not like this warrior he wanted him to be and so, he was mortified.

"And that's what Saiyans are: very prideful and bloodthirsty warriors. And Kakarot, you bring disgrace to our race," Raditz reprimanded him again. "You had the capability of wiping this planet out in an instant, but some useless head injury happened instead which caused your true nature to be wiped out completely."

Goku raised a brow. In reality, he could care less about this selfish race. To him, these Saiyans had very tyrannical-like desires, which went against his goodness of heart and his humanitarian beliefs.

Raditz then stared at the skies for a moment. He folded his arms and tried to picture something up there. "Nevertheless, good or not, when a Saiyan looks at the full moon, he'll never be able to control himself. He would just have to destroy everything in his path."

Goku twitched his eyebrow again, and then, he grunted with annoyance. "The moon? Huh, I've no idea what you're trying to say. I'm guessing I had to blow that up, too?"

Raditz lifted his eyebrow as well and instantly, became more enraged by what he was hearing from him. He thought there was not even a brain implanted in his brother's head. He yelled at him. "You fool! The moon is every Saiyan's most powerful source of his or her full potential. You could at least tell me you've actually looked at the full moon once in your lifetime!"

Krillin, Bulma, and Master Roshi suddenly became afraid. They clearly remembered something about Goku and it was always whenever he stared at a full moon. It gave them all nightmares.

Goku shook his head instead, remembering nothing about unlocking his true powers from his childhood days. "I don't recall anything about it. I'm positive it never happened to me."

Raditz was restrained with surprise, and his confusion then led him to a strange notice, to see something missing from Goku. He observed him from head to toe and he grew even more shocked. "What the-? The tail! Where's your tail, Kakarot?!"

Goku quickly glanced behind him and faced him again. "Why do you care about that?"

"Stop asking back questions and just answer me!" Raditz demanded, raising his voice more than ever.

Gohan moved his head away from Bulma's arms to look at his own tail, too, that was swinging back and forth from behind him.

Despite of his exploding anger, Goku remained calm, unaffected by his temper. "It was removed permanently a long time ago," he told him.

Raditz's displeasure began to rise almost beyond its boundaries. He had never felt so agitated in his life. "I can't believe it! What have you done? You've just lost your true power. Without your tail you lost the capability to transform when the moon inscribes a full circle!"

Everybody was terrified to see his explosion of anger.

"Perhaps this is the reason why you're in good terms with these weaklings," Raditz assumed. He then held a shaking fist. "You've removed the true mark of any Saiyan out there!"

"Listen!" Goku tried to get his attention this time. Once more, he could care less what he just said about the true nature of the Saiyans. He did not find it to his liking at all.

"I'm more than happy to know that I'm a person who knows the difference between good and evil. Now, I'll only say this one time. This planet is _my_ home. These are my family and friends. No matter what you say, I'm raised to be a good fighter!" Goku declared and this time, with less fear in his voice.

Raditz's fists clenched. He was shaking from so much rage.

"Besides, you act no brother I wanna have," Goku then pointed to himself and stated, "My name's Goku and I live here. Now leave us alone!"

Immediately, Raditz's eyes suddenly widened to have heard his brother say this. He felt a little…bothered from the inside.

Bulma agreed while she began to stand up to the evil Saiyan. "Yeah, just leave this planet for good!"

Master Roshi spoke up also. "It doesn't matter if you guys are related. Goku has a much kinder heart than you do, you big creep!"

Krillin nodded. "That's right. Goku _did_ save this planet once by the way, so it's useless to convince him."

The unwelcome Saiyan warrior closed his eyes, clenching his fists as he wanted to explode. He had never felt so livid in his life. The only one cause that calmed him down was realizing that, regardless of all their threats given to him, he knew his own power was much stronger compared to all of them.

Finally, he opened his eyes while this sinister vibe remained to linger around him and the others. Raditz slowly began to walk around Kame House as he continued to give Goku more history lessons about their race.

"So, you wish to be alone and forget none of this has happened, but I'm afraid I can't leave at this point; no, not with all I'm seeing. You see," he looked at Goku again, "you're too valuable for us now to let you go."

Afterwards, Raditz shifted his focus towards the skies again. This time, he revealed to Goku a catastrophic event that their home planet had dreadfully suffered from. This disaster, though he had never witnessed, he heard about it through mouth.

And it greatly pained him.

"Twenty years ago, our home planet unexpectedly met its end. Rumors said a huge comet came and destroyed everything," Raditz said, his voice suddenly toning down to a whisper. In his mind, he could almost hear the screeching cries of pain of the Saiyans. He could almost imagine the unbearable pain his people had to go through.

"The planet was vaporized and the Saiyan race destroyed…," he continued to say, looking intently at his younger brother again.

This time, Goku gasped and thought for a second, there was suddenly some…sympathy in his eyes. He wondered why.

Raditz then turned his head away from Goku…as if he was trying to hide something even from him. "The Saiyan race went almost extinct. Only four survived including you and me. We were the only Saiyans away when that disaster occurred because we needed to perform some duties assigned to us," he said.

Goku remained silent.

However, slowly, that sinister grin appeared on Raditz's face once more. He began to spread out his arms as if to touch the skies. "But now, Planet Earth is another planet we'd like to take over. A planet like this, full of lively inhabitants and abundant in greens and blues, is definitely worth the price, although I realized this task is a little bit too much for us."

Goku noticed the sympathy in Raditz's eyes had suddenly faded and was replaced by his hunger for power. He should have known not to be deceived by such things.

"We feared we had to leave this valuable planet for good until I remembered you, Kakarot," Raditz said, suddenly advancing towards Goku and his friends. Goku felt like his heart had almost jumped to his throat. By instincts, he began in his fighting position, just in case he would do anything that will cause them harm.

"I checked your power level with my device here," Raditz tapped at the apparatus worn on his left ear, "and realized you're a little weak for the average Saiyan. Nevertheless, if you join with us instead, our mission of conquering this planet shouldn't be too much of a hustle."

Goku bit his lip anxiously. At the stir of a moment, Raditz came up to Goku's face, his eyes staring directly into his brother's. He was so close and swift, Goku almost lost his footing. He hastily backed away, but he still tried to protect his friends and his son.

"So, what are your thoughts now, Brother? Do you feel the rush of the thrill?" Raditz asked him with a grin. "You should be. I've come to take you back to your rightful birthright."

Goku was getting sick of all his talks and his evil ambitions. His heart of goodness and morality will never allow for this nonsense to happen. "I've heard enough! I rather die than join with space pirates like you!" he yelled.

Raditz grunted. This time, he said nothing. In fact, he just stood there for a while in silence. Goku kept a close eye on him, still making sure he will not do anything. At that moment, Raditz's vision gradually moved towards Gohan who was still being sheltered by Bulma.

Goku tried to track down his gaze, wondering who he was staring at, at this time. When he was able to figure out who his eyes were focused at, he gasped and became terrified.

Raditz then mentioned, "Kakarot…that kid over there."

"Rrrgh!" both Krillin and Master Roshi growled, realizing that this enemy had his eyes set on Goku's son now.

"Oh no!" Bulma cried and she held Gohan closer to her.

"He's your son, isn't he? I just noticed he has a tail," Raditz said.

"Leave him out of this!" Goku shouted at him, hating to know what his intentions will be towards his son. He bravely stood in front of him, shielding his child no matter what.

"I'm your older brother. _I_ make the decisions," Raditz argued back and then, he threatened him. "If this is how you want it to be, fine, but let me tell you this. If you refuse to join us, then I'll be forced to take your son as a replacement in your place instead."

Everyone gasped in fright.

Bulma held Gohan tighter into her arms. "Aah! No! Not Gohan!"

Gohan trembled in endless fear. All he could do was to stay close to Goku's friends. He felt more tears coming out from his eyes. "Daddy…!"

"Goku!" Krillin glanced at him, wondering what they should do from here.

Master Roshi almost felt like he could not speak for a while. Turtle was extremely nervous; he kept his body close inside his turtle shell.

However, Goku was resolute, his valor unbroken, he went to his fighting position, prepared to battle at will. "If you want him, you have to get through me first. Hyah!" he will never let his evil brother take his son and make him an evil Saiyan.

Raditz stared into his younger sibling's enraged eyes, sensing his antagonism, but also this feeling of…excitement perchance. "The fire is burning in your eyes, Brother. Why not you stop resisting? It'll be a lot easier that way. Just come with us. It's in your blood, you love to fight," he told him, somehow tapping into the inner thoughts of his conscious.

Goku's eyes widened. Of all the terrible truth he had heard today about the heartless Saiyans, he must admit to himself; he will not deny the fact that he really loved to battle against fierce enemies. It was a trait that ran in the Saiyan race according to what Raditz told him, and it was true. Goku always had that feeling whenever he faced stronger opponents than him. Although he was extremely worried, something about fighting Raditz made him feel excited as well; however, to find himself feeling this way made him ashamed. His own son was in danger; therefore, he should not have emotions like these. He thought of nothing now except protecting his son from his brother.

"Now," Raditz then walked towards Goku for himself, ready to give the pain he deserved.

Krillin stood beside Goku and supported his anxious friend. "I'm right behind you, Goku."

"Just stay close to Gohan," Goku suggested instead.

Every little step, their fear and intensity grew stronger and stronger. No threat had ever intimidated and treated them like this before especially for Goku who, all this time, remained ignorant of his true Saiyan nature. When Raditz was only a foot away from Goku, he unexpectedly disappeared out of sight. Goku was shocked to realize that he cannot track down his presence at all. Without warning, Raditz reappeared before Goku could even sense or see him with his own eyes. With shocking haste, he gave a petrifying knee strike to his brother's stomach, forcing blood to come out from his mouth. The pain consumed his whole body, Goku's eyes shortened and he felt instantly paralyzed.

"UWAGH!" Goku cried out in very deep pain. This was the very first time he was forced down to the ground in so many years.

"UWAGH!" from the other side of outer space, Bardock, in desperation and struggle, was still caught in the Nebula Magnetic Storm. The gravity kept randomly changing as if it had a mind on its own. Bardock struggled to fight this environmental condition, but his efforts were futile.

The gravity luckily decreased to 20xG and slowly, the numbers went up. It was a chance for Bardock. He hurriedly got up, sprinting towards to the gravity device to shut it down; however, due to reasons he over-trained himself, he unexpectedly felt a sharp, aching sting in his forehead, forcing him to stop where he was.

"Augh!" he groaned. He tried to rid of the pain, but it was hurting him too much. Surprisingly, the gravity jumped to 70xG and Bardock was being pulled down again. He did all he can to resist this heavy force, struggling to keep standing, but he was forced to be brought down to one knee this time.

"I-I have to stop it somehow," Bardock told to himself, his voice shaking.

The alarm then suddenly went off.

Bardock opened an eye and noticed the entire place was at code red. "What?" he uttered.

A warning message was activated. "Warning. Warning. Worm hole incoming. Repeat. Worm hole incoming. Approximately two miles away. Repeat. Approximately two miles away."

"What the?!" Bardock anxiously exclaimed. Worm holes were transporters that could take a person to other galaxies. And it was such a huge problem since there was no certainty that this worm hole was a shortcut that can take Bardock to Planet Frieza in just a snap or may take him to another remote area. His real fear was if this dimension he was heading towards to will only take him back a thousand more miles away from his desired destination.

"No, I have to shut it down!" Bardock yelled.

He strained to move his arms and legs. The flooring seemed to be pulling him like thousands of invincible hands trying to drag him down. He knew every second counted, but little did he know, the worse was drawing near. This was a huge risk.

Bardock took great effort to take a few steps forward. "I've gotten this far; close to Frieza! Can't let this slip opportunity from my hands!" he told himself.

He tried to use his flying skills or even a dash to somehow get close to the gravity controls, but the gravity was still pulling him harder. He became determined though to keep on moving and with haste after realizing he was only a few feet away from the gravity controls.

"Almost there," Bardock told to himself, his hand reaching for the power button.

Unexpectedly, the gravity increased to 200xG after a powerful lightning struck outside like an angry squall. Bardock immediately lost his balance and he dropped heavily to the floor, his hand almost reaching the shut-down button. At this point, his body became too weak. He could not move a single muscle. He was undergoing great exhaustion and pain.

Bardock breathed heavily. He shook his head. "No, not now!"

Another warning was sent. "Warning. Approximately thirty seconds until incoming of worm hole. Countdown will begin now."

"Thirty seconds?!" Bardock grew shocked.

He did not have much time left. He struggled with all his might, deliberately ignoring all the pain he had brought upon himself from too much training and exhaustion, but his struggle negatively affected him and instead, he was forced to stay where he was. The gravity, unfortunately, remained at constant 200xG. Bardock could not get up at all and he was helplessly lying on the floor. He was now angry, believing it was all over. He was so close in getting to Frieza, but he let this opportunity escape from his hands.

In no later time, the machine started the countdown. "Ten, nine, eight-"

Bardock apologized to everyone who was counting on him to find and defeat Frieza. _"I'm sorry. I just couldn't. I'm terribly sorry."_

The countdown continued. As the numbers decreased, Bardock could feel the worm hole sucking him whole. "-four, three, two-"

_"Kakarot…," _Bardock said in his mind.

"One," the word "one" echoed in his ears. His eyes grew big and clenched his fists real tight.

"This is it…," Bardock assumed that it was over for good. The worm hole sucked Bardock's spaceship and himself. In just a split second, nothing was left behind. Lights came through, but Bardock just closed his eyes, expecting to see darkness instead.

"Augh!" Goku was holding his stomach in serious pain, which was consuming every part of his body. He was almost speechless to have witnessed this enormous, terrifying strength from Raditz; a kind of power that was beyond his imagination, his own mind was almost paralyzed by just thinking about it.

"Goku!" Bulma, Krillin, Master Roshi, and Turtle exclaimed in unison and they, too, were very shocked to see their friend down.

Krillin's clenched his hands. He wanted to help, but after witnessing how Raditz took down Goku with just one blow without making the slightest effort, he froze to his feet. He could not fight back somehow as Raditz's display of his strength terrified him.

"He just-! What is he?!" Krillin panicked.

For Gohan, however, the moment he saw what happened to his own father, his tears broke out instantly. "Daddy!" he suddenly broke free from Bulma's grasps to rush to his aid.

"Gohan, get back here!" Bulma had little time to react. She tried to catch him, but she could not.

Gohan completely ignored her and just continued to run. He knelt beside his beaten father and shook him while crying even more. "Daddy! Please get up! Daddy!"

Goku heard his son's frantic pleas. He tried to move at least his arms so that he could keep him close to him to protect his son, but this excruciating pain kept him chained down to these grounds of sudden defeat. He could not respond to his own child. He could not even hold him.

Raditz laughed quietly, favoring the scene of his victims all petrified from terror and his younger brother withering in pain. Suddenly, he stood behind Gohan, his shadow looming over him, and he quickly grabbed him by his coat.

"Wha-?! H-hey, lemme go!" the child was caught by surprise. More fear invaded his mind and body, he cried with all of his might. Thousands of tears fell from the corners of his eyes, he wailed for his father. "Lemme go! Daddy, help me! WAAH!"

His father heard him and saw his tears, which terribly hurt his heart. He struggled to stand, yet his body was still too weak, he could not do anything at this point. In desperation, he begged for his older brother to have mercy on his child. "No, plea-please! Leave my son out of th-this!"

Yet Raditz showed no compassion at all. He looked down on him, on this brother of his whom he believed had dishonored the Saiyans. "I wish I could, but you've disappointed me too much, Kakarot. You have lost my trust. I can assure you that it'll never be the same without your son."

Gohan continued to whimper while Goku's mind was in a painful and pleading state. He cannot believe this had to happen to his family and friends. He felt terribly useless and ashamed now for not being strong enough to protect them.

"Listen closely, Kakarot," Raditz caught his attention. "If you want me to give your son back, I suggest you should pay attention. This little favor I'm going to ask you, prove to me that you will do it."

The pain seemed endless, this serious blow to his stomach almost made his conscious fade, but what kept him going was his son; therefore, Goku had no choice but to listen to what his brother will have to say to him.

"Starting today, I want you to eliminate one-hundred of these pathetic Earthlings. I would know if you have done your job once you place them all here on this very spot. From there, I'll be doing a head-count to see if you have finally grown to be that killer Saiyan you were supposed to be."

"Aah!" Goku gasped, his eyes restraint with horror. Kill one-hundred earthlings and join this dangerous gang of pure evil Saiyans? Why would he do such an immoral act just to save his own son? What else, he would _never_ do such a thing. He knew it was wrong and it was just an insane, wicked idea! It was inhumane!

His kind, good heart refused to do his brother's immoral wills. He will never change his current life and commit into becoming a violent warrior. What Raditz had just told him to do made Goku feel awfully sick.

Raditz then glared into Gohan's terrified eyes. "You wouldn't want me to hurt your son now, would you? I'm hoping you'd do this for me, Kakarot, if you really want your kid back."

Gohan panicked more to see those coldblooded eyes of his. "Daddy, Daddy! I'm scared! Please help me!"

"Choose wisely, Brother. It's now or never," Raditz told him. He began to lift himself up into the skies with Gohan under his arm who continued to scream and cry.

"Gohan!" Bulma, Krillin, Turtle, and Master Roshi exclaimed.

"Daddy!" Gohan cried out even louder.

"No! Gohan!" Goku cried out, too, for his son, horrified by the thought that he might not be able to see him again.

The clouds had completely covered the skies, leaving the tension in the air at its highest especially with the current situation. Shadows were casted over Raditz's eyes; those eyes that showed not even a single shed of mercy even to his own flesh and blood.

He left a few words before he departed. "You are a Saiyan, Kakarot. Never forget that," and in that moment, he disappeared with his nephew at intense speed, leaving the rest behind in fear and confusion.

"DADDY!" Gohan cried one more time before he was quickly taken away.

"GOHAN!" Goku called out for him as loud as he could. He wished some miracle would just happen that will get him back to his feet; however, the reality had already set in. He and Gohan were now far apart, many miles away from each other with this constant, tormenting notion in their minds that they may never see each other again.

Goku flinched in pain, and this time, anger now burned up in his chest. After enduring a few more moments of discomfort in his body, it was then he could move, but with just one knee on the ground. With all his rage and anger, he punched the ground with his fists. He put all the blame to himself for not protecting his son well. He had saved his friends countless times from many enemies in the past, yet he could not even protect his own son.

As anger swelled up inside of him, there was also great sorrow.

Goku's friends finally came to his aid.

"Goku, are you okay?" asked Bulma as she came up to him.

"Goku, are you all right?" Turtle asked, lifting his right flipper.

Master Roshi sighed with regret. "I'm sorry, Goku. I wish we could've done something, but he's too strong for us!"

"Yeah," Krillin was sweating with apprehension. "I didn't know that he was _that_ powerful! I've never seen that kind of strength before."

However, Goku's despair and anger quickly turned into full willpower and purpose, driving him to save his son as soon as possible. He refused to give up. "…no, I won't let this happen…I have to get my son back! Nimbus!"

In a split second, Nimbus hastily appeared from the skies and it stopped beside the distressed fighter.

Krillin including the rest immediately stopped Goku though from going any further. With his current state, trying to stand up and defeat the powerful Raditz was completely out of the question.

"But…how about Gohan?" Goku anxiously asked them all. He felt sharp pain hitting his stomach again; he was forced to sit down. He stared at the sands beneath him, enraged, but deeply worried. "There's not much time left. I have to save Gohan. But…how?!"

It was the first time Goku had encountered an opponent who wielded such immense strength. Although he was resolved in getting his son back, he was unsure how he can surpass his own brother.

All of a sudden, another deep voice from a corner spoke; a voice that sounded familiar to Goku and his friends. It was a voice that was seeking for Goku for so many years. "You'll never be able to defeat him alone," it declared.

"What?" they immediately looked up. Just above the coconut tree planted near Kame House, there was a green, human-like creature floating there. He was wearing a white cape with two shoulder plates inside of it while he was also wearing a turbine on his head. Inside his cape, he was dressed in a dark purple-colored fighting gear. The creature appeared to have two antennas sticking out from his forehead. When he spoke, his sharp fangs can be seen. Obviously, this creature looked very different from the rest as if he came from another world.

"Piccolo!" Goku exclaimed, finally knowing who it was.

Piccolo took a landing and immediately confronted Goku. Piccolo is Goku's rival. He is the son of King Piccolo whom Goku defeated when he was a child after King Piccolo dared to conquer the entire world. King Piccolo swore revenge after he was defeated, and so he spat out an egg before he died. Inside the egg contained his son, Piccolo, and after the shell hatched, Piccolo heard his father's wishes and promised to fulfill them, to take over the world for him. When Goku and Piccolo grew to be young adults, they entered a tournament called the "World Martial Arts Tournament" where fighters come together from all around the world to test out their might in the ring. In the final round, Goku and Piccolo fought a deadly battle. It took Goku all he had to somehow overcome Piccolo and stop him from taking over the world. After using up all his energy, Goku finally defeated Piccolo when he powerfully knocked him out of the ring. Piccolo swore he will train harder and declared to him that if they crossed paths again, they will settle their rivalry once and for all. Goku accepted his challenge while also determined to stop him from realizing his diabolical ambitions.

Now, they had met once again, but what about this mysterious and powerful threat called "Raditz" who had suddenly come to Earth? He was that threat who took Goku's son away and who proclaimed to Goku he was supposed to be evil in the first place. Goku had no time to deal with Piccolo at the moment.

Krillin gulped hard with a tired look. He and his friends knew Piccolo well, and they hated to see him now at this time.

"Oh man, first Raditz, now Piccolo?" Krillin worriedly asked.

Goku asked his rival quickly. "What are you doing here?"

Strangely enough, Piccolo did not do anything that caused them harm. His appearance appeared calm, almost quiet, too; something that Goku actually did not expect from him.

"I'd already encountered that warrior earlier today," Piccolo referred to Raditz, going straight to the point. "His power's tremendous. I used up almost all of my strength to beat him, but it was no use."

Goku cautiously stood up from the grounds and asked, "You have? Then, I must ask. Why did you come here for?"

"That warrior's planning to conquer this planet, as you might have heard. I won't let that happen because it is my duty to do that," Piccolo responded with pride, making everyone gasp in surprise. He was still planning to rule the world still after all these years to carry out his father's wishes.

Goku gave a serious look. He did not like what he was hearing now.

However, Piccolo then said something that no one of them expected to hear. "But listen up. As things look now, we don't have any choice. I've already figured out a way to defeat Raditz and that way is…heh," Piccolo gave a snort, "by teaming up."

"What?!" everyone exclaimed. This was definitely unexpected from Piccolo. He, who was always seen as an enemy to everyone's eyes, was asking Goku to team up with him.

Krillin could not believe this. "Huh? You and Goku teaming up? I thought you were rivals."

Piccolo continued. "It may seem impossible, but if Goku and I were to team up, we might have a slight chance of beating that warrior. Two against one can be enough to eliminate him."

Goku was not so sure about this though considering he was still enemies with Piccolo. He also doubted his advice after discovering that this little intention of his was still stuck in his mind: to conquer the entire planet.

"How can I trust you?" Goku asked with uncertainty. How would he know if this was some sort of trick?

"You've felt the enormous energy from that warrior," Piccolo explained firmly. "You've heard him say that he will destroy this planet. In addition, he told you that you'll never see your son alive if you don't join him. We have no choice. What else, he came from a different planet. A planet in which he said contained the most formidable race in the world: the Saiyans."

Goku quickly thought about what Raditz had said to him; about the truth behind his birthplace and this fearless race he carried in his blood. It still angered him so for he did not expect a new threat to come here, much more overwhelming than any other threats he had encountered. Goku then thought about his son. Nothing else was in his head except the thoughts of saving him and kicking this evil Saiyan out of their planet for good. Goku did not care about the true nature of these Saiyans and if he carried the blood of a Saiyan or not. His belief was that he was a warrior destined to protect his family and friends from evil forces.

Goku looked at Piccolo one more time and he sensed that he seemed true to his word, that he was really asking Goku to form an alliance together…at least for this one battle. For Piccolo, he was forced to make this decision and it was the only option they both got.

"Hmm, I can't believe I'm saying this, but all right. I'll join you," Goku finally decided.

His friends were surprised by his decision.

"Goku, are you crazy? But this guy's-," Krillin said, but he was interrupted.

"He's right," Goku said with firmness. "If I pair up with him, we may have a slight chance in beating Raditz."

Like Krillin, Bulma was having second thoughts also. "But Goku, you just can't."

Master Roshi though agreed with his former student. No other choice was left for them except for this. "No, let him. It's the only way. You have to do your best, Goku. Let's focus on saving your son and beating that Raditz for good. We'll worry other things later."

"All right," Goku was grateful that his friends understood him. "Whatever happens to me, you can always wish me back with the seven DragonBalls," he told them.

"Right," his friends replied.

Goku turned to his rival once more. "Well, Piccolo, we're rivals before and whatever you do after the fight with Raditz, I assure you that I'll stop you from conquering this planet. But for now, looks like we're a team," he smiled and clenched a fist proudly.

Piccolo just gave a grunt. He crossed his arms and turned his head the other way. To him, it almost seemed like Goku was assuming that the son of King Piccolo was slowly changing at heart. Piccolo denied this without second thoughts, headstrong about the idea that he will always remain rivals with Goku. He must not forget about his own duties.

Goku turned to Bulma and asked her, "Bulma, can I have that Dragon Radar of yours? Since Gohan has the four-star DragonBall on his hat, we should be able to locate him with the Dragon Radar easily."

"Good idea, Goku," Bulma said, impressed by his idea. She reached in for her pocket and pulled out an oval-shaped device what appeared to be the Dragon Radar. It had a green, gridded screen at front and a button on top. The DragonBalls can be tracked down using this device since the magical orbs contained some slight energy and aura, which can be picked up by the sensors of the apparatus.

Goku took it and thanked his friend. He then hopped onto Nimbus while holding the apparatus tightly in his hand.

"Hey, Piccolo, can you keep up with the flying Nimbus?" Goku joked around.

"Don't make me laugh. I'm afraid that silly toy of yours might not keep up with my speed," Piccolo told him.

Goku chuckled in response. He then waved to his friends. "I must go now."

"You can do it, Goku," Bulma encouraged him.

"Good luck, Goku," Turtle said.

Krillin made a proud fist. "We're counting on you."

Master Roshi wished them the best. "Be careful."

"Thanks, guys. Nimbus, let's go!" Goku then soared with his flying cloud while Piccolo used his own energy to fly.

As Master Roshi and the others watched them left, they thought for a moment that after the part when Goku joked about Piccolo's speed comparing to Nimbus, that one small talk of theirs rather showed they were almost like friends instead.

Flying with great speed in the skies, swiftly passing by mountains and oceans, Goku pressed the small button on the Dragon Radar. Afterwards, the screen showed a blinking yellow circle moving at a normal speed. Seconds later, the yellow dot stopped moving.

"All right, Gohan and Raditz are about three miles away from here," Goku said. He then shared with Piccolo a plan of attack he just came up with. "Let's get Raditz by surprise and attack him while he's not looking. That way, we can get the advantage. We could also grab the tail. I believe that's a Saiyan's weakness when their tail is being pulled," he explained. Goku had also witnessed that situation first-hand before when he was a kid. Some enemy from the past, he can recall, grabbed his tail once and immediately, his body was in severe pain.

However, Piccolo cannot take agreement with his attack plan. "It's no use. He'll be able to detect us anyway."

"What do you mean?" Goku asked, puzzled.

"There's a device worn on his left eye. I'm sure you've seen it. That device will tell him how far a living thing is drawing near. The device can also calculate an individual's power level."

"So you mean he could detect us right now?"

"I'm saying it's most likely."

Goku sighed a little. He tried to keep calm, focusing his eyes on the horizon. By the looks of it, they did not have any other choice, but this only. "Well, there's only one thing left to do then. We'll just attack him head-on!"

Goku and Piccolo flew faster to catch up with Raditz. They prepared themselves physically and mentally for they will experience a very brutal battle soon.

"_Hold on, Gohan. I'm coming,"_ Goku encouraged him.

In the vast and endless space of the universe where stars and planets of new and old continued to shine in vivid colors, a mysterious gateway suddenly appeared. Afterwards, a spaceship immediately came out from this spiraling dimension hole. The ship was in good condition and was functioning very well. Inside of it, everything was quite dimmed.

_B-dmp…b-dmp…b-dmp…b-dmp…_

"_Is it over…?"_

A man opened his eyes slowly and then, they grew wide. He gasped in surprise. It was Bardock! He was able to endure and survive the Nebula Magnetic Storm.

Bardock quickly sat up while he held his head. He almost could not remember anything as if he had a sudden blackout. "Where…where am I?"

When he was able to claim his focus back, he noticed that he was still in the training room. The gravity controls were functioning properly now, but Bardock believed he may have to give it a rest. Before forgetting again, he adjusted the gravity to default, which was 1xG.

After he had adjusted the controls, he began to feel nervous. That worm hole had definitely taken him somewhere, but he just did not know where exactly. Hoping to find some answers to his question, he immediately looked outside of his window. His eyes were restraint with more surprise to see a gigantic planet surrounded by thousands of rings, which spiraled around it. In his opinion, it was probably the biggest planet he had ever seen in his entire life. The color of the planet had a few brown-colored swirls and cream white shades that almost looked like clouds, which made Bardock raise an eyebrow. Its size may be amazingly colossal, but he had never seen a planet like this kind. Usually, he had seen planets that were weird-looking, some were like meteorites. Others were just a plain, solid color with nothing revolving around it while others looked decorated with rainbow colors and fancy gems. In summary, most of the planets he had seen just fell into the extremities of the appearance spectrum.

"What is this place?" Bardock began talking to himself. "Did that worm hole took me to a different place? Am I still in the same area? Am I near Frieza?"

Bardock walked over to the spaceship control device. He pressed a button there and he spoke to the machine. "Destination to Planet Frieza, where is it?"

"Destination to Planet Frieza. Unknown. Repeat. Destination to Planet Frieza. Unknown," the machine responded.

"What?!" Bardock was staggered. His fists tightened with deep frustration. "No! It can't be. I don't believe this!" he yelled, his voice almost echoing in the empty space of the gravity room.

He did not know where he was. He was lost in space. More frustrations as well as regrets now filled his mind. He wanted to slam the controls just to let out all of these feelings, but he could not.

Just then, the machine repeated what he said.

"Destination to No-it-can't-be-I-don't-believe-this. Unknown. Repeat. Destination to No-it-can't-be-I-don't-believe-this. Unknown."

Bardock heard this and he quickly switched the machine to stand-by while allowing a brief chuckle to come out from his lips, but it did nothing to lessen his aggravation.

He let his back slid against the walls of the ship. He solemnly sat on the floor, placing a hand on his forehead. He was on his way in reaching Frieza, but now, he did not have the slightest clue of where he was. Most of all, he did not know what to do at this point.

He closed his eyes while he lowered his head, his hand now covering his entire face. He believed it was all over. How could he find that tyrant now? How could he finally extract his revenge on Frieza? Everyone was counting on him to end the emperor's reign and terror once and for all, but now, he let his chance slipped from his hands again. What will he do now?

Bardock had lost all hope-

…wait a second. His eyes opened slowly, the look in them conveyed that he just remembered something…very important; something he almost forgot.

He slowly stood up and looked out of the window one more time. He was still passing by this humongous planet, and as he thought about it more, he had this strange feeling that he may have seen this planet from somewhere. Perhaps he learned about it back then and saw pictures of it? Although that memory was too vague now, he was positive he had seen it before, now his eyes had observed more.

Gradually, Bardock's vision shifted from the colossal planet to the spaceship controls in front of him again. He walked towards it and stared at it for a while. Soon, he pressed the button again and the machine was turned on, waiting for him to state his next destination.

For reasons unknown though, he felt quite hesitant to say what was in his mind. Something was holding him back, uncertain that whatever what was in his mind was right or maybe even…true. He wondered if this rushed feeling of sudden realization signified a great deal of importance.

He finally said, "…Planet Earth…"

The machine took time to locate it. It began to calculate its coordinates and soon, it was able to recognize the planet. "Planet Earth. Approximately 746 million miles away. Coordinate X50."

Bardock was taken back, yet now, he felt some hope was restored in his heart. He stared out of space while he was in a state of deep thinking. _"So it's true…Planet Earth. This is_…_where __he__…was_ _taken to."_

When his mind had found its serenity again, dwelling deep into his inner self, it was when a phenomenon occurred to him. To him, this was not the first time he experienced this and it will definitely be not his last. He was just startled though since it had been a long time he came across this again. At this very moment, his mind was receiving a sudden and strange image.

And it was a vision…of the future.

Bardock placed his hand on his forehead, his arm trembling a little. It was a great secret he had kept for long, had cursed and had hated, and yet had also accepted it and tried to understand it. Twenty years ago, he was given this gift…of precognitive foresight, the ability to see the future. How did he receive it? Bardock quickly recalled the voice of an alien creature, coming from an extraterrestrial race called "Kanassan" from the Planet Kanassa. He was the one who gave him his gift who happened to also possess this psychic ability as well as the rest of his people. Why the Kanassan warrior bestowed this gift to him? Because he wanted Bardock…to see the horrific end of his own people just like what the Kanassans had to face as well. At first, Bardock was given these unpredictable visions, which pained and confused him, but the more he kept seeing them, the more he was able to assemble the pieces together and find out their meanings. Thanks to these visions he received, Bardock was able to know about Frieza's plan he had towards the Saiyans' home planet. Unfortunately, he was not able to save his people from meeting their cruel end.

Bardock quickly remembered the voice of the last surviving Kanassan warrior, the one who gave him this ability, and these were his words.

"_Watch these horrifying premonitions as they appear in your mind. You will soon understand why I gave you this psychic ability. Soon, you will see the horror of your race just like what my people and I had to face. Powerful enemies will continue to emerge from the darkness and terrorize every living being, including your people and mine, but only one can defeat them all."_

"_Only one…?"_ Bardock asked.

After heeding to his words, Bardock immediately saw images of a young boy. This boy greatly resembled him and these visions showed the child training rigorously in battle even at such a young age, fighting fierce enemies coming from different lands and places. The vision then transitioned to the boy growing to be a full-grown, compassionate, caring, yet a strong and relentless fighter who will continue on with his legacy, who will fight to defend peace and protect the ones he loved and cared.

It had been a very long time since Bardock received these visions, but this time…when he opened his eyes, they shone, which conveyed he had a new kind of purpose now. Another objective had come to him. He set aside his mission of finding Frieza for a while to turn his focus towards Earth. He will definitely have his revenge on him, but for now, Bardock felt this sudden calling from Earth. There was something about this planet that made him want to visit it; he cannot miss this chance. He wanted to meet someone he had longed to see after twenty years.

Bardock stood in silence, now having a new mission he wanted to pursue.


	4. Brothers' Quarrel

Episode 4

Brothers' Quarrel

"Shut up!" Raditz yelled at the crybaby Gohan with annoyance. They had finally arrived at the place where his ship had landed.

Gohan whimpered even more, frightened by his sudden anger. "Waah! Lemme go! Take me back to my daddy!"

"Stop crying, you fool," Raditz demanded once more, impatiently grabbing the kid by his yellow coat. The young child continued to cry and whine for his father to save him. Raditz had been hearing the deafening cries for straight thirty minutes and was getting pretty annoyed.

"Stop crying," Raditz said once more, his voice toning down a little. "You're Kakarot's son, which means that makes you one of the descendants of the Saiyan race," he said, telling Gohan he should be firm and tough. He walked by the crater that was made by his space pod when he landed. Without a care, he threw his nephew inside his ship. He closed the door shut, letting Gohan whimper in there all day. At least he would not hear him cry.

"Wait! Let me out! Don't leave me here! Please, come back!" pleaded Gohan, pounding on the glass bubble, but his voice was muted.

Raditz ignored his inaudible cries and hiked back to the surface, giving a sigh. "Aah, finally, some quietness. Since I'm here, I should look for some food."

His scouter then suddenly turned on, indicating to him about something.

"Hold on. A power of 710?" he paused for a moment and read further. "Huh, just fifteen meters away from here?" he then searched for the surprising power level and the device led him to where Gohan was, stuck inside his pod.

"What? That 710 is coming from that brat?" Raditz exclaimed and could not believe it. He wondered why a crybaby like Gohan could possess such a slightly high power level than an average Saiyan kid who's the same age as Gohan. Raditz never knew the facts, but he shook a little as he felt anxious about this. Then he realized he was getting too tensed up about such ridiculous miscalculations in which he should believe in? He soon calmed down. "No, I refuse to believe this. This is just a fluke; must be my stupid device. And I didn't even bring the manual to fix it. It must be broken."

Raditz proceeded with his search for some food. Not too long, he found some fruits shaped like pears. For a special treat, he found an animal lingering around. It was natural for him to eat raw animals so he ate it, actually liking the taste of it. It was part of a Saiyan's diet so it was normal to him where one could say it was very abnormal.

Raditz ate the last of his pear, his dessert, as it filled up his satisfied stomach. Not too long, his scouter was activated once again, calculating numbers. Raditz was annoyed to found out his scouter could still be malfunctioning since it was telling him that Gohan's power level was still at an exact 710.

Before proceeding on, Raditz suddenly picked up another power level. "What is it this time? I'm picking a 670. No, wait," when he read further, his scouter showed him two blinking dots.

"There are two," Raditz checked. "One is 330 and other is 340. I checked earlier ago that Kakarot has a power level of 340, but why would he come here at this time? If he's thinking he want to get his son back, then he knows perfectly well he can't possibly defeat me that easily. Ugh, this device is a junk!"

Raditz turned his mechanism to stand by, but then, his scouter indicated something again and this time, it was serious. The malevolent Saiyan turned to look at the skies. He spotted two figures heading straight towards him. It appeared to be Goku and his unlikely alliance, Piccolo.

He gasped in shock. "Kakarot _is_ here!" he then quickly turned around and stared at his brother's child, Gohan. So if the scouter had already indicated Piccolo and Goku's arrival and their power levels with no mistakes, then it must be true for Gohan as well; the truth that Gohan had a power level of 710.

Although Raditz still refused to believe this. "This can't be true; a kid, who's a crybaby and the child of a low-level soldier like Kakarot himself, having a high power level? That's impossible."

Goku and Piccolo then made their entrances, ready to fight at will. Goku had a severe look on his face while Piccolo concentrated with ease.

Raditz gave a sneer and welcomed them with a dark presence. "Well, you finally came, Brother. I noticed you even brought the green man with you."

The two warriors remained silent.

Raditz scoffed. "So Kakarot, what brings you here? Have you already done what I've asked you to do? If that's the case, then I should commend you."

"I've come to get my son back," Goku responded without hesitations.

Raditz shook his head in disappointment, presuming his brother was going to say that anyway.

Gohan wiped the tears away from his eyes when he heard his father's voice. "It's Dad," he exclaimed, happily running and pounding on the bubble glass, hoping his father will hear him.

"You're really testing my patience, Brother," Raditz then snapped, his anger rising again. He had never thought he would have a pathetic brother like Goku. "I told you before that you have to eliminate one-hundred earthlings and insist joining the gang."

"Why should I care about your dreadful choices? The answer is still 'no'!" Goku replied.

"I'm your older brother. You should listen to me," Raditz suggested before he gets hurt.

"Brother or not, I still won't listen to you," Goku defended again, his bravery still within him.

Raditz's expression clenched and angrily tightened his left fist. He was getting angered by his brother's such a way with words towards him. He thought it was ridiculous for Goku to lose his memories like that. If it were not for that head injury, Goku would be at his side now. Together, they would be conquering planets shoulder to shoulder for power and greed.

"Have it your way then," Raditz said. "To tell you the truth, I didn't come to this planet to kill you, but what other choice is left for me? It's too bad, Brother. I hope you'll learn your lesson once I give the pain you deserve."

"All right," Piccolo cut off their conversation. All his purpose here was to fight and he will do it. He will not delay any more time. "I've heard enough talk. You know why we're here."

Piccolo started to take off his turbine and cape with its two shoulder plates. He threw his armor on the ground, lightly making a thump noise as they touched the soil.

"Wow, Piccolo," Goku reacted in surprise. "I didn't know you wear weighted clothing too."

"You thought you were the only one?" asked Piccolo.

Goku started remove some of his weighted clothing as well he had been training with while practicing his martial arts. These weighted clothing were helpful to get used to heavy loads of stuff if you were to carry one. Weighted clothing will also boost your strength, defense, and endurance equally.

Raditz twitched an eyebrow, wondering what they were doing.

"These weigh about fifteen pounds," Goku said as he took off his sleeveless blue shirt inside his orange shirt. "And these shoes each weigh about fifty," he said while removing his heavy, blue boots.

Raditz checked their power levels and they somehow rose. He wondered how any person could do that without even have to go aggressive.

Goku then removed his blue wristbands worn around his wrists. These things will help him get used to heavy blows. You can also throw a very strong punch. "That outta do it, Piccolo, unless you can think of something else," he joked.

"What am I, your tailor?" Piccolo joked back.

Raditz checked each of their fighting levels. "Both of their power levels risen up approximately around 400 plus," but the dark Saiyan sneered, thinking there will be no difference anyway. "…feh. You think a few little weights could possibly defeat me?"

Goku and Piccolo were puzzled. Raditz folded his arms and laughed at the fact that he was still a lot stronger still than neither his brother nor his other opponent.

"Fools, it still won't affect the result of this battle. I'm still ten times way stronger than you."

Goku smiled. He was not disappointed at all. He offered him some little words of wisdom. "Strength alone cannot beat your opponent. You need to also outsmart your opponent too."

Raditz crossed his arms. He stared at his pitiful eyes; those eyes of innocence. "You have no idea, do you? You know…" the atmosphere then suddenly felt dark and disturbing, even Goku could feel it. The energy came from his older brother. And his brother himself was that energy that felt dark and disturbing.

"I have decided. I won't let you unite with the remaining Saiyans anymore. A fool like you will only slow us down," Raditz then exploded like an angry fire, wanting to be fed with more flames. "You're a disgrace to our Saiyan race, Kakarot! It's time to settle this!"

"My name is _not_ Kakarot for the last time," Goku defended once more, hating to hear that name over and over again. It felt like it was an insult to him instead. "My name's Goku. Now tell me, where is my son?"

"You should know better than do say such inconsiderate words to your older brother like that," Raditz smirked, "but fine, I'll let you see him for a few seconds. He's right over there; at the very bottom of that deep crater."

Goku set his eyes to the left. He soared into the ocean-colored skies with the winds lightly touching his face. He examined the crater closely and there was his trapped son, Gohan, crying for help, yelling for him.

"Gohan," Goku murmured. He felt guilty for letting his son get involved in this dangerous mess especially he was only an innocent child, but there was no time for blaming.

Gohan saw his father, whimpering more and more. "Daddy!"

"Be brave, Gohan!" Goku encouraged him, now teaching him to be stronger in the inside, to not let any fear bring him down. "I'll be right there to set you free. Just hold on!"

Another glance was taken, Goku then settled back to the ground. He eyed at his evil brother.

Raditz stood tall and firm. He was about to commence in his fighting stance. "So, shall we settle this?"

"If you insist," Goku replied solemnly.

Raditz then proceeded to stride towards the two valiant alliances. He slowly walked first, then, every second he increased his speed as he ran afterwards. Goku and Piccolo were ready to make their move, ready to detect his quick movements at any time. Goku felt very anxious. This was the first time he encountered such a very strong warrior in years. He was facing it now and in such a short amount of time. Usually if there were strong enemies, Goku would train first to ensure he was equal with his foes. Now, he can only rely on his instincts, his current strength and mind, from the inside and outside, as he secretly prays for pure power and bravery. All he thought about was Gohan and setting him free.

"HYAH!" Piccolo and Goku gave confident shouts simultaneously, boosting their energies. At the same time, they ran towards Raditz too.

Calculating the correct time, Piccolo and Goku's distances slowly spread apart and, with a surprising attack, they teleported in front of the running Raditz and delivered quick and very sharp roundhouse kicks to his face. Shockingly, Raditz vanished out of sight before their legs could hit him. Before they knew it, their foe was already right behind them, delivering devastating elbow strikes to their backs. Goku was put into pain, but regained his balance. He gracefully did a back-flip and landed successfully with his two feet. Piccolo although needed to work on his reflexes since he almost lost his footing.

"Woah, he's fast!" Goku exclaimed.

Piccolo got up from his knees. "This might be harder than I thought."

Raditz smirked. "Come and get me, fools."

Once again, Goku and Piccolo assaulted and charged, giving more battle yells to boost their power. Raditz stood there with a sneer, preparing himself for their next attacks. Trying to outsmart the Saiyan, Goku and Piccolo gave key-chained, multiples of punches. In every open space that will allow their enemy to counterattack, Goku and Piccolo would occupy those free spaces with their quick fists. Raditz avoided every little move, however, without breaking a sweat. Piccolo and Goku were constantly giving powerful, sharp kicks and heavy blows and punches, but neither of their attacks could even hit the cunning Raditz. After many struggling tries, Raditz jumped out of the way, flying high in the clear skies with Goku and Piccolo vigilantly following him. Raditz then gathered enough energy to form a move called "Double Sunday."

"Heh, heh, RARGH!" Raditz launched his move where two identical beams emerged from his palms; their targets were at the green creature and his young brother.

Goku and Piccolo were shocked to see it. They were unaware of Raditz's unbelievable speed and the power from his energy waves. When Raditz fired his Double Sunday, Goku luckily dodged the beam in just the nick of time, yet Piccolo was so close from escaping it.

Goku landed with his two feet with a relieved look on his face, but he knew this was just only the beginning.

"Phew, that was close," he wiped the sweat from his face. He then turned to Piccolo and noticed a lot of blood dripping from his companion's left arm. "Piccolo!"

The beam completely ate up Piccolo's arm. It was drenched in blood. Piccolo could not use his left arm at all.

"Piccolo, your arm!" Goku said, concerned and a bit disgusted by the looks of it.

Piccolo held his bleeding left arm, keeping a calm, yet painful expression. "Don't mind about me, Goku. This is nothing."

But Raditz laughed so hard, thinking it was hilarious. "Oh, such a pity! Guess my powers were too much for you, wasn't it, green man? Hah, hah!"

Piccolo growled with aggravation. He was mad at his insult. Raditz then stopped laughing and prepared himself again for his opponents' next attacks.

"Hey, Piccolo, I'm sure you have some kind of a plan up in your sleeves by now," Goku said with a slight smile, sensing his alliance's feelings. He knew Piccolo had some type of technique before that he rarely shows. It was a very efficient move though, but he had not done it since so many years. It could still be effective now.

Piccolo thought about what he said and indeed, he had a plan. He shared it with Goku.

"Now that you mention it, I do," Piccolo said.

Goku listened, but without turning his head to face him. He needed to keep his eyes locked on Raditz. He could do anything devious at the moment.

"Try to distract him for as long as you can. I'm going to ready a special move no one has ever dodged before. And I bet Raditz won't either. It would buy me some time though so just give it all you got until I'm ready," Piccolo said, getting straight to the point with their plan.

Goku instantly understood him. He then readied himself in his fighting stance. "Gotcha, Piccolo. Hyah!"

Raditz grinned, seeing his brother opting to him solely. "So my brother's not giving up, eh? Heh, come on."

"Here it comes! HYAH!" Goku charged at full speed. As he took a forwarding, giant step, he suddenly appeared in front of his enemy, as if he performed a super dash. From there, he gave multiples of punches and hand techniques: quick jabs, heavy punches, and striking palm strikes. Raditz was still able to sidestep every move of his opponent, but Goku did not give up so easily. He knew he needed to save his son and that was the only thought that kept him motivated at his goal.

Piccolo took his middle and index finger and placed it on his forehead. There, he gathered an immense amount of energy. His fingers started to spark up.

"Nyah! Hyah! Kyah! HYAH!" Goku shouted within every punch and kick. He did consecutive blows with sudden sharp kicks, following with skillful hand techniques and flexible foot works, his attacks distracting Raditz to the best of its abilities.

Raditz laughed as he still avoided his brother's every worthless move. The more Raditz evaded, the more he was making his opponent tire out. "Hah, hah! It's useless!"

Goku imputed collected energy from his body to his right fist and skillfully, but aggressively, delivered a punch to his stomach, leaving trails of winds and white aura behind. "HYAH!"

The brash Raditz was finally caught. He instantly stopped when he felt that punch on his stomach. It almost felt the attack left vibrations to beat his body.

Raditz's head was down, but when he looked up, anger was written on his face. "Why you…!"

Goku knew he must follow up with another attack. However, Raditz disappeared at the blink of an eye before Goku could even follow his speed. Goku tried to sense his energy and eventually, his senses led him into seeing his brother behind him already.

"Hyah!" Raditz delivered a back fist. Then, he followed with an axe kick and a front kick, sending Goku up in the skies.

As Goku tried to regain his balance, Raditz appeared above him and did a falling kick to his back, sending his struggling brother back to the surface again. Goku bit his lip, knowing he should not give up yet. With his hands, he bounced himself right back in air.

Raditz landed on the ground, missing his chance to attack his brother. "He's persistent," he said.

Goku stayed in mid-air for a while, while he positioned his hands together and congregating energy from his body. Faint, sapphire-colored ki started to glow from his palms.

Raditz's scouter beeped rapidly as it stated that his opponent's power level was rising suddenly.

Goku started to say the words. "Ka-me…"

Raditz stepped forward and could not believe what he was reading on his scouter. "His power level's sky rocketing. It's now at 950!"

"-ha…" Goku's hands were glowing more vividly in light blue colors.

"How? I've never seen a person concentrating his energy into one spot," Raditz started to fretfully say. He had never witnessed such a tactic before. He only knew how to brawl and fight. Guess this what Goku meant about outsmarting your opponent.

"-me…" Goku's aura grew brightly than ever before. The rays shone more vividly from his palms, slowly forming into a blinking energy sphere.

Raditz's scouter then detected another high power level not far away from where Goku was. He turned around and his scouter led him to Piccolo, who was also gathering an immense amount of energy.

"His strength's also increasing. It's over a 1,000 and it's still rising up," Raditz quietly said.

Goku's special technique started to flare up, thousands of beaming lights spun and danced throughout the skies. A ball of pure energy can be seen from the inside of his closed fists. He then released his powerful energy beam, which was actually the very first move he learned when he was a child.

"-HA!" Goku yelled vigorously with spiritual strength, discharging his Kamehameha wave out from his bare hands. The powerful beam of shimmering lights zoomed rapidly and targeted at Raditz firmly.

Raditz knew he had to avoid the Kamehameha wave. Its power was almost equal as his strength in which can inflict some significant damage to him. He ran as fast as he could until he can think of a way to block the attack. Goku though was thinking clearly ahead. Risking some energy from his body, he manipulated his Kamehameha beam in whatever direction he wished to guide it, and thus, whichever direction Raditz was heading off to, Goku's attack followed his opponent's tracks.

It felt it lasted for too long, whereas it actually was only fifteen seconds maximum. At last, Raditz stopped, deciding to confront the powerful wave himself.

"Enough of this!" Raditz positioned his hands together, in a way that was meant to cancel an attack. He boosted his defense greatly. Once the attack came in contact with his hands, Raditz's arms and body stung and shook greatly.

Seconds later, Goku's Kamehameha vanished into thin-air. Its amount of energy and power had already worn off. The attack left smoke and smolder afterwards.

Goku wondered if his attack had stopped Raditz, or at least weakened him enough to let easy victory fall on their hands. Unfortunately, Goku only was brought to shock to find his evil brother still standing.

"He canceled it out. Darn, what am I supposed to do now?" Goku asked fretfully.

"That really hurt, but quite impressive actually," Raditz said. Once again, the dark, sinister energy gradually filled the atmosphere again.

"Brother, I'll show you how it's done," Raditz tightened his fist and surprisingly fired a fatal move called "Here's A Present." An almost invincible energy blast, containing with electrifying bolts, was shot out at Goku.

A light suddenly flashed. Once Goku set his eyes on his brother's attack, he felt the severe pain already eating his body. He was heavily pushed back and blown away as if thousands of bellowing winds tried to carry him away to nowhere.

"Uwagh!" Goku fell painfully on the ground. He had never felt this kind of pain before. His body strained to get up, but he continued to tell himself that he must fight and win no matter how difficult the battle was. He needed to free his son and needed to save everyone before Raditz could get his way instead.

Raditz flew near where his brother fell and grabbed him by his shirt, his fist readying for a punch until his scouter detected a familiar, high power again. The Saiyan let go of his brother and turned to see Piccolo, whose body was sparking up in flickering lights, his veins were becoming visible to one's eyes. Raditz could almost feel his power going up the roof.

"Now!" Piccolo scared the sinister Saiyan. He was finally done with his ultimate move.

"Power level at…1,500? I _can't_ block that!" Raditz exclaimed, assuming he only had a maximum power level of 1,200.

"Have it! SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" Piccolo finally fired his petrifying technique; a thin laser beam was launched along with another beam coiling the first one.

The place became bright as the rays from the Special Beam Cannon just dispersed everywhere. Raditz eyes grew big, trying to think through his fear if he should avoid this or do something else. There was only limited time to think of anything especially his mind was being blocked by feelings of dread.

One second later, a blinding light blinked through the screen and shattered pieces from an armor flew sharply. Piccolo's beam of dangerous cannon went on and demolished one of the mountains in the background, blowing half of it completely. This was one indicator how strong it was.

_BOOM!_

The place evidently turned normal again as the atmosphere became calm. Goku and Piccolo waited for any strange sightings or unusual sounds that could mean danger.

Piccolo chuckled to himself, thinking he had defeated that vicious Saiyan. As the clouds of fog faded, however, he instead spotted a figure still standing on his legs, breathing very heavily.

"What?" Piccolo and Goku exclaimed in shock.

Raditz still remained.

Perspiration streamed from Piccolo's cheeks and forehead, providing him more pressure and anxiety to overcome. "He dodged it fa-faster than the-the speed of light," he stammered.

Although his beam was as fast as the speed of light, Piccolo managed to cut through Raditz's shoulder plate and severely wounded his right arm. There was blood pouring slowly from it.

Raditz bit his lip, his body fidgeted a little, but it meant nothing to him. He was relieved he was still standing. He was actually getting excited of their match. "Impressive. You could've taken me out if it were a hit."

"Darn, all for nothing!" Piccolo snapped. He had drained almost of his energy in that attack and it was worthless.

Goku gave a little frightened look. It was not over yet still. How long it will ever take just to beat this enemy, he had always thought from the beginning.

Raditz folded his arms, his face giving another look. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them. He thought it was the time to reveal to them the painful and frightening truth he had been hiding all along.

"Hmph. You both actually did a great job. I am quite impressed. I actually have to try a little too especially to you, Brother. You somehow prove yourself worthy of a true strength from a Saiyan."

Goku remained silent as he kept himself vigilant to any surprising attacks his brother might do; yet at the same time, he actually felt excited too about this heating match.

"Heh," Raditz gave them a more terrifying look. "Did you know that all this time I was just testing both of your strengths?"

"What?" Piccolo and Goku reacted.

"That's right. Keep that fear in your eyes. As you can tell, I haven't reached my full power yet. I'm just getting warmed up," Raditz darkly told them.

"No!" Goku refused to believe what he just said.

Goku and Piccolo were traumatized to hear this. Raditz was playing with them all along and they were already struggling desperately. Think about how much struggle and pain they have to endure if Raditz were to get serious, if he unleashed his maximum power without holding back. Piccolo and Goku's minds went blank and could only think of one thing.

Goku tightened his fists with anxiety, but also with silent anger. He wondered how he could ever defeat his dark brother, Raditz.


	5. A Glimpse of Hidden Power

Episode 5

A Glimpse of Hidden Power

Raditz laughed maliciously when he saw the terrified looks on his brother's and his brother's alliance's face. "Yes! I could see the fear in your eyes! Keep on imagining that!"

"No way!" Goku refused to what he just heard.

"Hey you, green man," Raditz impertinently called on Piccolo and asked, "Do you, by any chance, remember the name of that move I was about to do when we first met?"

Piccolo, at first, was angry at him for name-calling him. After what he had said, he perspired and gulped very hard. "Move? I..."

"All right, I'll demonstrate. Watch closely…" Raditz told him to jog his memory. He rose his left arm up in the skies and gathered energy to release this so-called special technique of his. A faint, beaming ki sphere started to light up around his left palm.

"After this attack, you and Kakarot are going to perish instantly. Now die!" Raditz was done forming the attack and was about to release, but his battle yell turned into a scream of pain.

Piccolo gasped and wondered what just happened.

Raditz could feel excruciating pain behind his back. Slowly, he turned around to see who gave him this pain. He could feel his tail being grasped tightly and lo and behold, he was right. He found his own brother, Goku, had gotten hold of his tail while Raditz busied himself showing off how strong and confident he was. He was foolish enough to not anticipate this to happen, Raditz cursed.

Goku laughed at his carelessness. "Hah, hah! Now didn't I just mention that you also have to outsmart your opponent?"

Raditz stared at his younger brother's eyes. How slapdash he was to let Goku get away and let him grab the opportunity to sap his strength by grabbing the tail, which was a major weakness to all Saiyans.

Goku then tightly squeezed his tail, which sapped more of his brother's strength. He trembled in pain and vulnerably fell on his knees.

"You, Kakarot, let go of me!" Raditz demanded.

"Hey, Piccolo, can you do that move one more time?" Goku asked him.

"With pleasure, Goku," Piccolo replied, readying for another Special Beam Cannon. "I see you have a surprising attack there, you sly dog. Now hold him tight. I can only do this one more time!"

Piccolo started to gather massive energy from his body. His middle and index finger began to spark up once he placed them on his forehead. He attempted to try the Special Beam Cannon one more time and this time, he was sure enough he can hit Raditz.

"Kakarot, no! Stop!" Raditz tried to free from his brother's grasp.

Out in the vast outer space once of again where many stars and secrets lie about the old universe, Bardock, in his spaceship, continued on with his intensive, rigorous training.

The Saiyan warrior yelled with spiritual strength when he gave a turning hook kick. He was going his way up towards 60xG. Bardock performed several moves, from the basics to the most advanced. Every move he performed his motivation of defeating Frieza once and for all built up more. In addition, his aura also sparked up like a dazzling firework. His training was temporarily stopped when the machine gave an important message to Bardock, regarding about his desired destination.

"Destination to Planet Earth. Approximately one-hundred miles until departure. Repeat. Destination to Planet Earth. Approximately one-hundred miles left until departure."

"One-hundred miles left?" Bardock asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Man, Zenshin's not kidding about this spaceship being fast. It's only been what? An hour or so? I think I should turn the speed to MAX to get to Planet Earth quicker."

Bardock set the gravity controls to default. He went over to the controlling device and set the speed controls to maximum. The main screen showed a message that said "OK" in light, blue letters. Few seconds later, the spaceship went ZOOM! Bardock was pushed back because of its incredible force. Soon, he had gotten used of it. Taking a little break from his training, Bardock strolled over to the elliptical, glassy window to gaze at the many shooting stars and planets. He touched the cold windowpane and recalled some memories from his past. Some were violent and dreadful, but others were filled with joy. Bardock then stared at his ring finger. He had a special ring around it that was colored plain silver, but very meaningful.

"…I hope you're enjoying yourself in the Otherworld…" Bardock spoke softly to somebody in space, hoping this "somebody" will hear him. He tightened his fists and a warm smile appeared on his face. Whenever he thought of that someone, a feeling of gladness and warmth rushed in his body; even at times when he felt sad or lonely. Perhaps this someone was one of the reasons why he was still living. Perhaps this someone was the one who protected him while he was in a deep sleep for twenty years.

Another thirty minutes or so, the machine gave Bardock another message that there was only five minutes left until departure to Planet Earth.

Bardock was taken aback. "Wow! Zenshin's spaceship _is_ fast! Perhaps faster than the fastest Saiyan pod I could ever think of. Love it."

He immediately sat on the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. He felt very excited to start another journey. In fact, it had been a long time since he started his own adventure. When Bardock thought about it more, he had never felt so much excited before in his life; just now, and he felt he was back in the old days.

"All right, I'm ready!" the eager Saiyan warrior said.

The struggling victory between the unlikely alliances, Goku and Piccolo, and the sinister Saiyan, Raditz, raged on. Raditz's tail was still being grabbed by his brother.

"Augh! Kakarot…you couldn't just…kill your own brother!" Raditz angrily asked his own flesh and blood.

"First off, you hurt my family and friends," Goku furiously yelled. "Second, you kidnapped my son. And if I could remember right, you said you were gonna exterminate this planet once you defeated us. Well, I won't let you! And as far as I'm concern, I have no brother!"

"Kakarot, please have mercy on your…brother!" Raditz cried out suddenly.

"Huh?" for a moment there, Goku thought he was hearing things.

"I was out of my mind when I said those things," continued the sinister Saiyan. "I don't know what had gotten into me, but I realized now, Kakarot, that you're now living a different life. And I should respect that," Raditz started to regret.

Goku was surprised to hear this. Could he all was saying was true? But Piccolo warned him not listen to their enemy, no matter how pleading he sounded. There was always something about Goku that could be a disadvantage for him, especially times like these. Goku was too soft with those around him, including his own enemies. He showed too much mercy. He was a little gullible too, which could lead him to trouble if he uses it at the wrong time.

"No, Goku, keep holding. He'll say anything to get out!" yelled Piccolo while he continued to gather more energy for the Special Beam Cannon.

Goku was feeling rather confused, but at the same time he was feeling…

"Please…Brother! Have mercy, please!" Raditz continued, now his voice sounding more regretful. What Goku struck him more was the looks of sympathy and shame in Raditz's eyes. The evil Saiyan convinced Goku more to let him go. "When I took your own son from you, a heavy feeling struck me. I realized what I've done was wrong. I was about to leave you and the boy."

Goku felt confusion. Both his mind and heart were trying to figure out if Raditz was true to his words.

"Why would I say such things to my younger sibling that could scare him? Why would I do such a sinful thing in the first place? Of course, at first, I thought you wanted to join us after I revealed to you the truth about who you are and what we do as a Saiyan…" Raditz apologized even more as if he was sincere about it.

"You're my own flesh and blood and yet, I hurt you as if you were nothing to me. Please, Kakarot, let me go! I'm sorry for the mistakes I did!" he asked for forgiveness.

Goku continued to tighten his grasp onto Raditz's tail, but the softness of Goku slowly overtook him. Yes, he may be a tough fighter, but a fighter who shows mercy for others also. He was making a hard decision. He then inquired him. "If I let you go…will you promise me you'll leave my home for good?"

"Yes, I swear! I'll leave you alone. I'll leave everyone on this planet and never return," Raditz said, sounding he was telling the truth, but Piccolo knew this was a very bad idea.

Goku was completely speechless.

Raditz tried to persuade his younger brother once again. His voice then sounded he was about to cry. "Please, have mercy! I promise to leave! I promise!"

Goku's hands trembled and could not make a decision. However, the last words he said finally convinced him. Finally, he slowly let go of his older brother.

"No, Goku!" Piccolo yelled, but it was too late to warn him twice.

When Raditz felt no more pain, he took off his pleading mask and replaced it with a smile so perfidious. Before Goku knew what he did was a mistake, Raditz struck him with a powerful elbow strike on his chest.

"Augh!" Goku's eyes nearly turned white. He screamed with pain and fell over on the moist grasses.

Raditz began to laugh with pride and snide joy. "Fool, you actually think I would change? Never! You're way too soft to be my brother!"

Piccolo sighed with anger and disappointment.

"No, it's not fair…" Goku struggled to speak, but the pain seemed like it was taking his voice away.

"Fairness? There's no such thing in times like these!" Raditz then started to beat up Goku with his own bare hands. The younger brother was put in more pain within every attack, and was also forced to spit blood from his mouth.

Piccolo did not know exactly what to do. He just froze.

"Gah!" Goku groaned. After Raditz had done a few more kicks and punches, without mercy, he struck Goku's stomach with his powerful foot. And then, Raditz continued with his merciless beating while his helpless brother cried out in pain.

"Beg for mercy, you fool! Let me hear you wither!" Raditz hollered at his brother.

Inside Raditz's space pod, there sat Gohan. He had nothing to do, but be forced to hear his own father's painful cries.

"Oh, Daddy…" Gohan sniffed, feeling guilty that he could not even help his own father because he was too frightened, too young to even fight.

However, Gohan felt another sort of emotion he had never felt before. There was also something…burning inside his chest.

_Whoosh!_

While other parts of Earth were calm and free from harm, a dashing object, like a jet ship or a quick shooting star, appeared in the skies. Every second, it increased in size as it moved closer and closer in touching Earth's lands and seas. It then loudly made a perfect landing on the ground, scattering dusts and smoke everywhere, and creating a huge dent on the soil. This object that had landed appeared to be a spacecraft. When the door opened, a man appeared from the shadows and the light enlightened him…

"It's time!"

Bardock finally appeared.

He observed the green nature and the beautiful scenery of green plants and flowers around him. He inhaled to smell the salubrious air and exhaled to show he was as tranquil as the winds.

"So this is what Earth looks like. I have to admit, it's a beautiful sight," Bardock said.

Relaxation was cut short though when Bardock's instincts suddenly clicked on him; his senses picking up some sort of disturbing energy from a far distance.

"What?" he reacted to his senses. He never felt nothing like this before, but his senses did not excite him, nor did they worry him. It was just a feeling that told him to quickly go to a specific direction. He knew it was not the doing from his precognitive foresight. It seemed almost natural.

"This is weird," Bardock softly touched his forehead. "I can sense…a clustered of enormous energy just straight ahead. Are these power levels? If they are, I heard these so called 'Earthlings' are not that powerful, but this kind I'm feeling…something's telling me is no ordinary human. I have to go check it out!"

Bardock levitated from the ground and flew in the skies turbo speed. The gravity here felt almost weightless since he was so used in living under heavy gravity; although, he was not interested of making any analysis about Earth at this moment. He was too eager where his senses will lead him to.

_"I hope…it's him…"_ Bardock said to himself.

"AUGH!" Goku's unending cries of ache and terror echoed in the skies.

Raditz continued to mercilessly stomp on his brother's chest, to give more pain into his body and for his life to end. "I want you to beg for mercy, you fool. If you haven't forgotten about your mission, none of this would have happened. You see now, Kakarot? You're a disgrace to all Saiyans!"

Every stomp, Goku cried out in serious pain. He was in critical condition. He needed to escape from these gates of wrath, but he was tied down with thousands of chains, keeping him in one place, not letting him go. Goku only thought of a miracle. He wished someone will come and end this torture.

Bardock abruptly felt a sharp prick in his head like a quick headache. Suddenly, images of two familiar people appeared in his mind for only a split second. Then, the images disappeared. It was almost too quick, too vague to even give time what he just saw, but his heart began to feel worried. When he felt this, he decided to go faster. The faster he went, the stronger the energies he felt ahead of him.

Raditz was about to make the final blow to his younger brother. He gave a vigorous battle yell.

_Beep, beep, beep!_

But his duty was interrupted when his scouter detected a high power level nearby. And it continued to accumulate every second.

"Hold on, I 'm detecting a power level…over 1,000, but where is it?"

In his space pod where he used to get to Earth, visible cracks were slowly occurring on its walls.

Raditz looked from left to right, frustrated to locate the power his scouter was indicating.

Smalls cracks continued to occur. Soon, they led into big fissures that instantly damaged Raditz's space pod. The mysterious power level continued to rise to its boundaries; maybe beyond.

"I can't find it! Who could possess such power?" Raditz yelled.

Just then, a thunderous, angry voice came from above, an angry scream that almost shattered the skies. The three fighters were curious who it was. When they glimpsed at the shimmering skies, a young boy, with tears of anger and with a heart that was burning in anger, soared in the infinite firmaments.

Piccolo's eyes grew wide. "Goku's son."

Goku stared at his child. He was almost taken back when he felt a sudden, burning rage inside of Gohan. He never expected for his own kid to have such power, to have such emotions that were considered non-existent for a kid at his age. He could almost see red aura glowing around Gohan.

Raditz shook when he saw this. "I can't believe it. Kakarot's kid? But how?"

Gohan growled angrily, his tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. He could no longer bear his father's painful cries. He was enraged deeply. He could not think of anything else, but to stare at Raditz's pure, evil eyes and swear he will make him pay. He swore he will make him leave this planet for good and never bother his father again.

Goku, however, warned his child to stay away. Raditz could still be a lot stronger than him.

Raditz's scouter continued to go haywire. "Power level over 1,150? This number is a mistake!"

"Please, Gohan, just go!" Goku begged.

Piccolo stared at Gohan's raging eyes. "Goku's son, his power level is even higher than me and Goku combined!"

Gohan was angered more to see blood from his father's lips and his body. He could tell he was very hurt.

"Power level exactly…2,000?" Raditz almost whispered.

Gohan then angrily said, almost demanded, like a command that was needed to be heed to, at the merciless Raditz with an angry shake in his voice, which seemed to explode.

"Leave…my dad…" the young child's red aura grew tremendously. His power level was sky rocketing, and more tears came from Gohan's eyes.

The young boy was engulfed by his own anger and burning flames. He screamed at Raditz, commanding him to leave his father and everyone on this Earth. "ALONE!"

Gohan then assaulted to Raditz with continuous tears plopping from his eyes. His power grew so dramatically that his own visible aura became his own shield to protect him from any kind of attack. Raditz froze somehow. He felt terrified and shocked to see this. One thing for sure, his scouter made no mistakes about the boy's strength. Goku and Piccolo were still speechless; amazed by the four-year old's mysterious, budding power.

"RAARGH!" Gohan roared.

Gohan darted like a lightning given by an angry tempest, while Raditz continued to stand in shock. Then he struck Raditz's chest with his own head, causing for his armor to crack and break. Few pieces of it went flying.

"AUGH!" Raditz felt deep pain steaming his body. The impact was so great that Gohan's attack broke his armor and also inflicted serious damage to him.

Goku and Piccolo were stunned by the boy's amazing, unexpected, and powerful tactic.

Bardock was very near in tracking the enormous power levels. He then suddenly felt a strong ki level that was even higher than the clustered of power levels combined. He was quite surprised.

_"Such power…who is that?"_ Bardock inquired to himself.

Gohan fell on the ground after giving that powerful blow to their foe. When he fell, his anger suddenly vanished into thin-air. He had lost all his glimpse of hidden power. His red aura had also faded. All the things that helped him gave this massive boost of power vanished; everything: his feelings, his strength, his thoughts; all of them disappeared as if they were not there in the first place. When Gohan woke up, he became a different warrior; the innocent, almost ignorant one, not the savage beast that Raditz briefly witnessed. Gohan found himself looking intently at his father's eyes.

"Da-Daddy?" Gohan stammered.

Goku could not say anything. For a moment there, he even thought if this child was really his son, although this was no time to cheer, not even the time to think about the mysterious warrior that unveiled itself for awhile from the young boy in order to protect its family and friends.

"No, Gohan, run! Now!" Goku commanded one more time.

As for Raditz, he held his chest deeply. He felt no blood, no bruise, but instead a terrible pain that vibrated his entire body and instantly made him feel fatigue and very weak. "Augh! He nearly smashed my armor into pieces. How is that possible for a foolish child? Augh!" he also realized it was painful for him to speak, to even move, to even blink his eyes.

Goku yelled at his son. "Run! Save yourself!"

"Daddy, but…" Gohan refused to leave his father again. A shadow loomed over him. "Huh?" he turned and saw Raditz, with his arm placed to where he was hit by Gohan's attack. Goku's son then felt very afraid.

Gohan stammered. "Daddy, help…!" he almost cried. It was strange for Goku because the Gohan now looked dreadfully frightened; not unlike that one moment where he became a supernatural being.

Raditz shouted at the young boy. "You'll…you'll pay for this!"

Goku begged for the Saiyan not to hurt his son. "No! Stop! He's just an innocent boy! Please!"

Raditz sneered. "Hmph. When it comes to fighting, there is no mercy for all. Is either kill or be killed!" he then mercilessly delivered Gohan a devastating punch on his cheek, leaving Gohan knocked out for a long time.

Goku saw this and was angered. "Gohan! No, you! You hurt my son!" he staggered. He wished to get up, but his body was still weak from all the beating Raditz gave to him.

"Now! Ow!" Raditz groaned again. He was still weakened, and the pain did not seem to go away. Raditz walked over to Gohan and stared at the kid for a moment. _"This foolish child, how could it be possible for a kid to have such power?"_ he thought. It was hard to imagine. _"You deserve to die, kid. I will give you the punishment that all foolish Saiyans should deserve as their penalty; especially those who came from a father who brings disgrace to the Saiyan race."_

Raditz lifted his left arm and electrifying, purple lightning surrounded his palm, ready to bring Gohan to his own doom.

"No! Gohan!" Goku cried in terror. He cursed himself that he cannot protect his own child. He felt worry, shame, but also determination pouring all over him. He must save his son!

"DIE!" Raditz yelled with anger, but just in the nick of time, Goku grabbed Raditz from behind. His younger brother locked him into his arms very tightly.

"What? Kakarot, you can still stand?" he asked him surprisingly.

"Piccolo, now! Do that move one more time!" Goku yelled.

After Piccolo recovered from his surprise from witnessing Gohan's brutal attack, he finally said, "Okay, I have a little bit of energy left to do it. Hold him tight this time and don't let go!"

"Right!" Goku understood.

Piccolo started to gather a sufficient amount of energy to perform his ultimate move: the Special Beam Cannon.

"No, Kakarot, let me go!" hollered the sinister Raditz.

"Not this time. Because this time, you'll be gone for good!" assumed the confident Goku.

"What? Impossible!" Raditz refused. "You think I will be defeated that easily?"

"I'll do anything to stop you from conquering this planet," Goku told him.

"What?" Raditz, with all of his might, tried to break free from his opponent, but since he was injured by Gohan's attack, he could not. His power level had decreased significantly.

The more time though Piccolo needed to complete his Special Beam Cannon, the faster Goku's grasp to lock Raditz began to break. His arms and hands were slowly slipping from his foe. His fatigue was getting into him fast.

"Piccolo, please hurry!" Goku urged. "I can't stand holding him any longer!"

"Just give me several seconds, Goku," encouraged Piccolo. "I'm almost done. Just hold on!"

Once again, Goku and Piccolo were unexpectedly forming good teamwork.

Raditz then reminisced about how fast and how treacherous the Special Beam Cannon was. He was very lucky to escape the first attack, but now upon realizing he was too weak and in too much pain to even move, he wondered if he could dodge this time. He was even more shocked when he thought about his younger brother, Goku.

"I'll do anything to stop you from getting away…even if it means sacrificing my own life!" Goku was noble enough to commit such an act.

"What do you mean?" Raditz slowly turned his head to look at his brother's eyes. "Don't tell me, you're allowing yourself to get _hit_ by his attack!"

"I wouldn't worry," Goku said who began to laugh and began to smile, "because if anything happens to me, I can be brought back to life again."

"Brought back to life? By what?" Raditz wondered and sounded very confused.

"You'll see, sooner or later!" Goku told him.

Piccolo was sparking up. His aura began to reveal itself and surround him. His fingers on his forehead were igniting and sparkling as if it was ready to burst. "All right, Goku! I'm ready!"

Raditz's eyes widened. He knew the end for him was near. He struggled with all of his might, used every ounce of his strength, but it was still no use.

"Ngh, aah! Come on!" Goku grunted while he struggled to keep his opponent locked into his arms. Pain was already burning his body, but he will not give up yet.

The two brothers trembled in fear. They could almost imagine how much pain it will hurt them. Raditz tried to break free from Goku at full force, but Goku was giving all he got to keep him in one place and once again, bring peace to Earth. As for Bardock, he felt more worried within passing minute. He could sense, something bad was going to happen ahead. And those two figures that he vaguely saw in his mind, he might knew who those were.

"I won't let go!" Goku said to himself, "even if it means sacrificing my own life!"


	6. Unlikely Reunion?

Episode 6

Unlikely Reunion?

"Kakarot!" Raditz yelled with deep terror and frustration, his voice echoing in the skies. He could feel his end drawing near and it bothered him so. He tried to break free, but he could not. He was too weakened from Gohan's unexpected attack.

Goku struggled with all of his might and yelled also. He will soon feel the pain, but it was for the entire planet's sake and for his son too. He will never run from fright, but to die bravely instead. "Now! Rargh!"

Piccolo prepared to fire his assailable finisher, his fingers igniting with flickering sparks of light. "Take this! Special Beam Cannon!"

"…!" the Saiyan brothers were traumatized, feeling their ends nearing. Their hearts beat rapidly as their cavernous dread slowly draining their energy somehow. The feeling of terror was declining their strength. They could not think of anything, but their ends and the pain they will have to feel.

A light shone. Raditz and Goku's eyes grew wide.

"STOP!" a bellowing voice just shouted and it echoed in the unblemished skies.

Suddenly, Raditz and Goku felt a strong and quite a tenacious push, forcefully shoving them both to the moist grasses, and they both made a painful, surprising drop. They felt like something, or someone, had fell on them too with its strong arms wrapping both of the quarreling brothers.

A loud boom was then heard. The thin laser of Piccolo's cannon blasted one of the mountains in the background again. Piccolo bit his lip. He was frustrated that he missed again, but was more curious to know who that shadowed figure was, the one that shielded Raditz and Goku from his disastrous move.

Raditz and Goku strained to get up from the ground. They felt more weakened even from that small drop due to the fear and the battle itself they fought. For some reason though, both of the brothers felt unexpected warmth and connection from the shadowed figure that protected them.

"Are you all right?" the voice asked, letting them go afterwards and going into a hasty stand up.

Raditz and Goku took some time to figure out who the man was since the sun's rays were quite blocking their visions. When they propped themselves with their own arms, slowly tilting their heads to the point where the sun's rays were not pointing at them, Goku, especially Raditz gasped in shock as if they almost felt their hearts jumped to their throats.

"It-it can't be," stuttered Raditz and quivered from his feelings despite of the cool weather.

Goku had nothing to say; only his jaw dropped. The facial features of the man who saved them left him speechless. He shook as well.

As the shadowed man came towards them, his face was revealed as the sun's rays shone on it.

…Bardock.

"Wha-what? Ba-Bardock…?" Raditz stammered. Somehow, he knew him by just looking at his face.

Bardock glanced at the shocked Saiyan with a solemn face, his face making almost no sign of expression at all, but his eyes showed the most. Bardock could not contain himself when looking at him, yet he could somewhat. That expression in his eyes was filled with longing and also amazement, yet with a little sorrow and anger. He knew who he was and who he was to him. It was true after all, he was still there, he thought.

"Raditz…?" Bardock finally said. His lips were slightly opened as he spoke. He gave a look like he was just too surprised to see him.

Raditz could not find any words to say. His eyes gave a defiant stare into Bardock's eyes.

Goku, however, had no idea what was going on. Seeing them both suddenly staring at each other seemingly like time had just stopped; as if their fight had just came to a complete end. Of course, this was not the end of the battle yet.

Goku examined the mysterious man thoroughly from head to toe, especially his face. He looked so much like him! Could they be related? No, he mustn't be, Goku thought. He had never met him before in his entire life! This was just merely a coincidence! It did not matter how many similarities in appearance they shared, Goku denied what the reality could be. Yet despite his hesitations and confusions, he felt somewhat…mysteriously connected to him; a kind of strange bonding. _"Who's this? Same face and same eyes…?"_ he thought in full curiosity.

Bardock took a step forward, but his eyes caught the man who looked identical to him. He slowly turned to Goku. Again, his eyes showed a deep expression. He silently said his name inside his blank mind. _"Kakarot…" _surprisingly, Bardock knew of him too. He knew all about him. It just got to be him, he told to himself. It was that same face he saw in his visions, that same face in his vague memories, that same face of a true warrior, that same face of a baby he knew, but never held.

"Kakarot…" Bardock whispered.

Again, deep silence filled the air as if time had completely stopped without rhyme or reason. The silence was too unbearable. Their deep glares made the three Saiyans nervous.

Goku examined more of Bardock's face, but the one thing that caught his attention more was the same tail wrapped around his waist; the tail he used to have when he was a kid.

"Huh? No way, he has a tail too just like Raditz!" Goku exclaimed in astonishment. "Gosh, this is just getting too fishy here."

Bardock raised a brow as he gave a questioning look. He expected him to be not that all surprised considering he had a tail before too. He tried to remember the visions again to put the pieces of the puzzle together to make this more sense; to know why he may had forgotten about it.

Raditz was very annoyed to hear his brother's innocence over and over again. "Kakarot, stop saying foolish things!"

"What are you talking about?" Goku questioned back, not getting the foolish thing behind his words.

Raditz stepped towards his brother with his face heating up. "You pathetic coward, do you have any idea who this is?"

"No, and I don't care!" without warning, Goku then locked Raditz into his arms again, not letting him get away this time. He turned to his companion, Piccolo, and said, "Hey Piccolo, can you do that move just one more time? I got him now!"

"What the? Let me go!" demanded Raditz, trying to break free from his brother. The weakening from Gohan's attack still kept his power at a low, constant level. He tried to cut loose, but he could not break free still.

"I will not!" Goku yelled back, continuing to lock onto him, but he was slowly letting go faster than usual. He could only hold on for several seconds.

Piccolo bit his lip. He was confused of what to do. The thought of the mysterious man who looked very similar to Goku drifted his mind to elsewhere.

Bardock was beginning to wonder why they were fighting all of a sudden. What were their problems between them anyway? He was a bit disappointed though when Goku said he did not care who he was. Nevertheless, Bardock simply ignored it. Obviously, Goku never met him just until now.

"Just let me go!" demanded Raditz once more, feeling excruciating pain from his aching chest.

Goku was beginning to lose his grasp, his hands slipping away from his brother; his legs slowly sliding. He needed to keep him at one place and not let him pursue his horrible deeds. "There's no way I will!"

"Darn you! Don't you even care who the man is you're facing?" Raditz questioned once more as he referred to Bardock again. He wanted his brother to find out at least.

"No, why you ask?" Goku asked back, straining himself, wondering why he kept questioning him about the one who looked identical to him.

Raditz was extremely infuriated. "You pathetic fool! Do you have any idea that this man is named to be Bardock…our father?" Raditz said, his voice leveling up. He was getting very much angered. He was tired of his brother's innocence. If only he had not hit his head in the first place.

But Piccolo and Goku were simply at shock. That fact was almost like the impossible to them.

"What? Fa-father?" Goku yelled and stammered. There were no words to describe his feeling.

Piccolo obviously reacted to what he said. "Goku's father?"

Goku then looked at Bardock again. He saw his expression darkening this time. It was excessively obvious there was an extremely notable resemblance between them, but despite of such similarities they shared, he could not accept the reality at all. Goku was not fully convinced. He needed further evidence.

But for some reason, there was a slight feeling Goku _had_ seen that face before. He just did not know when though. He could not recall anything as if memories between them did not exist.

Goku shook his head from such questions, thinking his older brother was just trying to play a prank on him so he could escape. After seeing the evil deeds he did, he will not let him carry on. "Father? Wait, hold on. You're just making that up, I bet! I won't fall for your tricks again!"

Raditz had never felt so angry in his life and just yelled. "Kakarot, let me go!"

The two brothers barked and snapped at each other, straining themselves to hold on onto one and the other one trying to break free. They continued to yell and sometimes scream.

Bardock was essentially getting tired of their heating arguments and bellowing yells that he decided to stop this instantly. He might get a headache. Finally, he said, "…Kakarot, let him go…"

Goku gave a bewildered look. "What?" he turned to him. He cannot just unleash Raditz after experiencing the horrible activities he did, but there was something more about what he said; something right and true. Goku, having no idea, unknowingly let Raditz go. He was surprised to do it so automatically. Again, even though Goku did not believe in his older brother, he somewhat felt connected to Bardock. However, he just continued to deny the reality.

Raditz rubbed his stomach to soothe the pain as he looked at Bardock. The flaring expression on Raditz's face had calmed down, yet that same intensity in his eyes remained. "Bardock, is that really you?"

He kept him at bay for a second, silencing his mouth from speaking words. He then simply nodded. "Yes…it's me…"

He stared at Raditz from head to toe. He looked different from when he was at childhood. He was relieved to see him again, but was more disappointed and infuriated for a specific reason. There was a change in his appearance, a major change in his power he felt, but a same sentiment in his dark and cold nature.

"You've grown…" Bardock said, not giving any smiles, "but you never changed…"

Raditz ignored what he said. He was still surprised at the fact his father was in front of his face. He felt very much relieved to see him. "Father, I…thought you were dead," he assumed after hearing Planet Vegeta being destroyed. He knew it was that time where the Saiyans, including his father, were killed.

Bardock lightly shook his head. "No. I actually survived."

"Survived the meteor explosion?" Raditz added.

Bardock's eyebrow suddenly twitched. He was disconnected from his message easily. "Meteor? What are you saying?"

"Well, rumors had been spread. A meteor destroyed the Saiyan's planet. Didn't you know?" Raditz asked.

Bardock had not been told about this, he believed. He was not getting the fact at all. "What?" he repeated.

"You mean to tell me you didn't know all this time?" Raditz asked again.

Rumors, he said? Bardock then knew what was going on here. After thinking through this, he finally realized. He assumed a pack of lies and such ridiculous gossips influenced his eldest son's brain, deceiving him so easily. It led him to suddenly remembering Frieza. He was once again taken to quick, silent anger. He assumed Frieza was the one who told this falsehood. He felt he wanted to kill him so badly right now. Frieza first betrayed the Saiyan race, and now he was telling a pack of lies; spreading and making them seem real to explain their home planet's obliteration. The Saiyan's planet was not that weak and frail to get destroyed by one comet anyway. It would take billions more just to do it. What else, the Saiyans were a race of fierce warriors and their home planet reflected their nature.

Bardock turned away from Raditz a bit and was about that time to tell the entire truth; the one he was left ignorant about. "You have been deceived."

Raditz raised a brow. "What?"

"Our planet wasn't destroyed by a weak comet. It was destroyed by…" Bardock paused for a moment, closing and opening his eyes to look at the skies. "…Frieza."

Raditz gasped in complete horror, feeling himself taken back from too much deep shock. "What? Fri-Frieza? He-"

"Yes," Bardock replied, keeping at a calm state.

Raditz kind of hesitated to believe it. Was it true after all that Frieza was the one who destroyed their home planet? "That's impossible, but I thought-"

"What you were hearing were just all rumors!" interrupted Bardock angrily. "I've seen it with my own eyes. Frieza destroyed the Saiyans' planet," he tightened his fists and bit his lip, feeling himself shaking. "And he will pay soon enough. How dare he do this to us!"

And Bardock felt very disturbed when he remembered that moment when their terrible emperor tried to destroy him too.

Raditz tightened his fists together; his resentment suddenly overtaking him. He was finally convinced. He had always sensed something suspicious whenever he looked at Frieza from the very beginning after his home planet was destroyed; those coldblooded eyes and endless, nasty laughter of his. He knew it was him all along. "That Frieza…! I've been working for him through all these years and all this time, he was actually the _one_ vaporized our home planet! Curse it!"

Bardock's face showed sudden strictness. "Raditz, you're telling me you're still working for Frieza?"

Raditz was a bit confused by his father's obvious question. "Huh? Father, you should know better that we'd been working for that Frieza since the very beginning. Did you hit your head or something?"

"You could've secretly quitted after our home planet was destroyed no matter what the costs were," Bardock's temper started to rise, but he tried cool down. He was getting too frustrated and must relax. Getting angry all the time was too stressful. He crossed his arms and said, "Well, you were left ignorant anyway. Now that you now know what Frieza had done to our home planet, you might want to have second thoughts."

Raditz gave a befuddled look as his eyes darkened a little, showing more of his dark nature.

Goku then had to share what was in his mind. There were so many things going on and so many questions. "Wow, what a day I'm having. Um, hey."

"His name is Bardock, you fool," Raditz strictly corrected his younger brother, irritated of him for not referring Bardock as their father; for not at least respectfully calling him by his name. He did not know though that Goku did not believe this was their real father.

Bardock glanced at his youngest son, his eyes filling again with expression. It was him; the baby he knew, but never held before. _"Kakarot… he's a full grown warrior," _he then remembered the visions from when Goku was just a kid. He had received visions of him growing up, his childhood, and a little bit of his adulthood, but the thought of seeing him today was more than a miracle to him.

Goku felt that strange aura again; that strange bonding between them. He tried to ignore it. He brought up a nervous question. "You sure you're no enemy? I mean, your intentions are not to conquer this planet just like Raditz is trying to do, right?" said Goku, feeling dumb for asking, but he somewhat felt Bardock was the kind of person that, within a first glance, he was a good person already.

Bardock was puzzled and confused once again. He eyed at Raditz, feeling himself getting angrier. "Enemy? Conquer? Raditz? What is this? Are you actually trying to conquer this planet?"

Raditz, however, was beginning to get confused by his father's questions too. Those questions can be answered himself. He just had to query him back. "_…_Father, are you forgetting about the pride of the Saiyan race? I told you, this is our job for Frieza, but it's also we, Saiyans, take pride on. Are you forgetting about all of this? We scatter through space and destroy planets, selling them to the galactic markets. We purge any life. We take delight in killing others! We-"

"But you shouldn't. Being a Saiyan means you don't have to go and kill innocent beings. It's not right. Ever since our home planet was destroyed_…_" Bardock paused for a moment, looking down on the surface with the feeling of shame. "_…_no, before that entire incident happened, I realized the pride of the Saiyan race became guilt to me instead. What we were actually doing is just_…_wrong!" Bardock said, not knowing what other words to describe it other than it was just wrong. Period.

His son continued to argue. "Father, can't you recall that this is the job of a Saiyan warrior, remember?" he said as he tried to jog his father's memories as if they were erased. Deep down though, he knew that Bardock had changed his ways by just hearing his words and sincerity. He wanted him to convert back the way he was; a savage beast with deep, honored Saiyan pride.

Raditz continued to explicate. "As you might already know, I'm doing this for the sake of myself so Frieza's punishments won't befall on me. And also secretly, it is the satisfaction of a Saiyan, the pride of one. This is who we are from the very beginning when we were just a tiny entity. We are planet brokers! Fierce warriors! We should be…proud!"

Bardock shook his head, not liking what he was hearing. He knew better than that. The pride of a Saiyan being used for evil deeds was a thought he greatly opposed. "Proud? No, Raditz. What you're doing is wrong and all the other Saiyans too who have failed to notice this. Having pride in your Saiyan race means you have self-respect towards your own race, when there's nothing left for you to keep, but to the point where you abuse it and use it for evil deeds is just taking it too far. A true Saiyan with pride is an intellectual, possessing logical wisdom and makes wise decisions, and yet cares for others as well. We shouldn't be proud. All of us shouldn't be honored of what we are doing."

"Bardock…Kakarot…all of them…" Raditz's face turned half-way down. He pretended his ears were being deceived, but this was all seemingly true. Was he right or wrong? There was no answer, but only confusion and blankness, but his dark nature still within him, an evil smile appeared on his vicious face. He started to chuckle softly under his breath. "…heh, heh, eh, heh…"

"Huh?" Bardock said, thinking what was wrong with him.

Goku backed away a bit and slowly positioned himself in his fighting stance. "Oh no."

Piccolo had heard their conversation all along and did not like the sounds of his chuckle. He cracked his fingers. "Have to be ready before he does anything."

Raditz continued to laugh softly. He thought he was the only one who was right around here. "You know what, Father? I believe all of you had just completely forgotten about the pride of the Saiyans. Kakarot and you…are such a terrible disgrace to the Saiyan race. And I think it's time to teach you both a very valuable lesson."

"What?" Goku said.

Bardock knew Raditz had decided to continue pursuing his evil intentions. He had to stop him from remaining a mindless, killing machine before something worse could happen. "Raditz, you shouldn't do this. You're just blinded with too much pride. Give up your evil ways right now just like Kakarot. You don't know what you're doing."

Goku was a bit stunned when Bardock said that. Their minds were at the same opinions and beliefs. They thought alike. _"That's what I have in my mind right now."_

The evil Saiyan knew what truly happened to his brother. "Kakarot didn't change for himself. He changed because a terrible accident fell upon him," he explained, revealing the truth why Goku will be like this forever. "He had completely forgotten what his mission was since the day he arrived on this puny planet because of that one worthless, accidental injury to the head. His memories will never come back!" Raditz yelled, was sounding angrier than ever.

Bardock had also seen that incident before in one of his visions. Goku did change because he simply hit his head that his nature switched into a kind-hearted person rather than a mindless, killing machine. He was glad though that it happened so. He was also glad he was wise and intelligent enough to notice the consequences from behind having too much pride without caring about others, especially using that pride for evil deeds. Imagine if they stayed that way. Their last days would have not been so great.

"I was disappointed by that. Now I'm giving Kakarot a lesson he will never forget! And I will make it fair to you, Father," Raditz stated straightforwardly.

"Raditz, just stop it. Fool, this is your father speaking to you," Bardock said, trying to snap him out from his obsession. He was going too far the borderline. "Your father knows best and I know this is the best thing to do. Give up your evil ways this instant or they will all come back at you. You just can't see it yet, but soon you will. Just stop it!"

"SHUT UP!" Raditz bellowed at his own family, not wanting to hear them or even see their faces anymore.

Goku and Bardock gasped in complete shock.

"This is the pride of all Saiyans! And I will not give it up so easily!" with too much anger, Raditz suddenly teleported behind Bardock, giving him a powerful, surprising energy blast. He decided to attack his own father at will.

Bardock quickly sensed it and dodged out of the way to evade the blast. Raditz assaulted towards him and started to throw multiples of punches and footwork techniques, yet Bardock kept evading his attacks. When Raditz delivered a straight punch leaving trails of seething aura behind, Bardock grabbed his hand and uppercut him to the chin. Raditz was sent flying in mid-air, but the frustrated Saiyan regained his balance, lifting his left hand as he gathered an immense amount of energy.

"Eat this! Double Sunday!"

"Hmph," seeing his son's technique going straight after him, Bardock quickly released a technique very similar to Goku's Kamehameha wave using his right hand only. The move was called "Full Power Energy Wave." Bardock released his beam and their energy beams strongly exchanged shots.

Piccolo and Goku watched the hectic fight that was going on between them. Few seconds later, Bardock prevailed and struck Raditz with his Full Power Energy Wave. Raditz was sent to the ground, injured. Bardock slowly came up to the weakened Saiyan with a serious face, like there was no compassion in his eyes.

"No, my finisher's supposed to be stronger. Curse you! What?" Raditz grunted, looking at his approaching father.

"Raditz, I know how hard it is for you to feel to give up your pride of Saiyans," Bardock understood too. He felt the same as well when he tried to change. It felt very different and not comfortable. He will continue to keep his Saiyan pride though, but use it only for good deeds, "but it's just not right. It's never right. Not unless you only abuse it. Can't you see it? Look what's happening to you now! You must stop."

Raditz refused and just wanted to keep his Saiyan pride; wanted to keep the terrible job of the Saiyans. He simply wanted to remain a savage beast of terror. "Never!" he rapidly released a strong ki blast to take some of his anger out, but Bardock simply deflected it.

"What? How could you deflect it in such a short angle?" Raditz anxiously questioned.

"Frieza's just using you. Stop!" Bardock tried to persuade his eldest son more.

"I will never give up my pride!" Raditz got up, trying out for a sweep kick. Bardock jumped, flipped, ending behind Raditz as he grabbed his back. While holding him, he did a few knee strikes to his back, ending with a hook kick. Raditz was thrown to surface once more, wiping the dark, red blood from his lips.

Raditz stood and wiggled and shivered with so much pain. He was getting desperate and had no other choices left in his mind.

"Heh, well, Father…I never experience such battle," Raditz grinned and pulled out a small jar from his armor. Inside of the bottle was a tiny, dark green seed.

Bardock looked at it and quickly, already knew what it was considering he had encountered these "things" before in his life. He felt he could laugh, because these things were nothing, but a bunch of weaklings so why Raditz even bothered to release one?

Raditz twisted and unopened the cork of the tiny jar and took out the small seed and placed it on the ground. He made a small puncture on the soil to allow the kernel seed grow. He placed it inside and poured dark-colored liquid inside.

"Watch closely, if you dare," Raditz tried to upset them a bit.

"What is he doing?" Piccolo questioned.

Few seconds passed, a crack occurred on the ground slowly. Then a shiny, solid layer peeked out. The creature that Raditz planted started to make its way out of the ground. Sooner or later, a green alien popped out of sight. It was a green humanoid creature, a plant and animal alien hybrid, with disgusting features. It had vicious eyes and sharp claws.

"Wragh!" the creature screamed, trying to scare its opponents.

"What is that?" Goku asked, a bit disgusted by its looks.

"This is what you call a 'Saibamen'," Raditz briefly explained. "Careful, they're more vicious than they look."

Piccolo growled angrily, sensing a weak, but quite a deadly power inside of it.

Bardock remained silent and did not panic at all. Soon, he could not contain himself and started to chuckle under his breath. "Heh, heh, heh."

Raditz bit his lip. "Quit your laughing!"

"Hah, hah! Oh Raditz," Bardock snorted and gave a taunting look, "you know perfectly well that a weakling like that doesn't even stand a chance against me. You saw me beating these creatures up without breaking a sweat before. Then why bother summoning one to me?"

"Just shut up!" Raditz yelled at his father, already knowing that Bardock _did_ surpass these feeble enemies, but he was getting too desperate, the battle left him with no options at all. "I don't care! Just attack him!" Raditz then commanded it.

"Wragh!" the Saibaman leaped towards Piccolo, Goku, and Bardock; though Bardock already knew, Goku and Piccolo were unaware of its secret powers inside. The Saibaman then had a gap on his head with smoke coming out from the hole.

Bardock snorted as he saw it. He leaped in air and warned the other fighters. "Watch out!"

"Huh?" Goku and Piccolo said.

The Saibaman suddenly spurted acidic, toxic substance from its head. Luckily, Piccolo got out of the way just in time. Goku quickly grabbed Gohan first and rapidly dodged the bitter substance as fast as he could. The liquid missed both of them, making a very deep, extensive pit on the ground instead. Even for Bardock, he would have gotten melted if he was not that careful.

"That thing's dangerous," Piccolo presumed, looking at the hole it just made.

The Saibaman then looked to its right and flew towards Goku. Goku was caught in surprise as the creature almost clawed him on his face. Goku luckily avoided it and countered with a turning sidekick while continuing to hold the unconscious Gohan in his hands. It had no effect on the creature, however, and decided to attack Goku with all it can. Goku once again avoided every little move, but was surprised to realize its speed and force of power was as strong as Raditz. He was lucky enough to find an opening though and occupied it with a straight punch. The Saibaman was held in surprise. Still continuing to hold onto his son, Goku performed rapid fire of punches with his right arm only while it was distracted. He then skillfully did an inside kick and ended with a very graceful crescent-like kick with his other foot, injuring its head.

While the foe was still caught unguarded, Piccolo teleported in front of the falling Saibaman and held its hand, giving a powerful blow to his stomach. He then snatched its shoulders and strongly gave a back-flip, his two feet hitting the chin of the creature. Gathering some energy, Piccolo side-kicked its stomach, blowing it away.

"What the? What are you doing, you fool? Can't you do better than this?" Raditz yelled at the Saibaman. He was annoyed for letting itself get distracted that easily.

Bardock, however, was most stunned when he watched Piccolo, especially Goku briefly fought with the green creature. He observed their moves. They were very sleek and graceful, but they contained power and aggression, all concentrated into a single point. He quickly visualized in his mind as he compared his own fighting skills with Piccolo's and Goku's skills. Bardock's fighting skills contained some flow and gracefulness in them when performed, but they were more rowdy and very rough. This led him to remember some of his visions about Goku again, about his years of training. Goku went through a lot, but his training was very different from a Saiyan's. He obviously did Earthling training and trained in a way where the body and mind were combined together, where the moves were at flow with rhythm, like a constant beat of a song. Bardock was just stunned and felt a little jealous. Who would have ever guessed Goku was this talented? Bardock did not really expect this.

The Saibaman eventually heard Raditz's commands and forced itself to regain his balance. It stopped at a complete halt and held out its right hand, releasing a Full Power Energy Wave just like Bardock's. The beam zoomed like a fast comet and was about hit the three fighters. Piccolo and Goku moved out of the way to avoid it, but Bardock instead teleported behind the creature's back. Bardock quickly did one of his special techniques, "Final Revenger," where he first delivered a strong punch to the Saibaman's stomach. Then he quickly countered with an uppercut to its chin. The frail creature was forced flying in air. Bardock yelled to boost his strength.

"Hyah!" Bardock went for another uppercut to the Saibaman's chin, teleporting behind it afterwards and chocked its neck. He gave three consecutive knee strikes and then performed a rigorous back-flip in the end.

The vicious yet weak enemy was helpless and Bardock was just about make his final move.

"Be gone!" Bardock clasped his two hands together to make two heavy fists, delivering the Saibaman a hard-knuckled strike to its head; a powerful blow that severely damaged it. The Saibaman crashed down close beside its master who left Raditz at shock and anger.

"Impossible!" Raditz hesitated to believe this, but already knew his father would win from the very start. The Saibaman would have at least destroyed Piccolo and Goku since its power was as strong as Raditz's, like Goku just mentioned. Either way, with his father in the way, victory was negatively impossible to gain for him.

"Wow…" Goku was taken aback by Bardock's flow of power and speed. Again, he felt their similarities flow of strength. He felt very connected to him, but shook that feeling off, still not believing that Bardock was his biological father.

"Such strength and speed," Piccolo said who was quite impressed.

Bardock landed on the surface again and gave a defiant stare at his eldest son. "Haven't I told you yet or should I need to prove more?" he asked him, grinning a little.

Raditz bit his lip and felt very intimidated and dumb. It was true his father was stronger than any of them so why should he bother fighting back? He cursed himself by just thinking of it.

Bardock then sighed, influencing his son one more time and hoped he would just listen. "Raditz, I'll say this one more time. Give up your evil ways now! You may not see what tragedies lay ahead if you continue to be like this, but I can!" he said, sounding a lot more serious. "You cannot suffer like this."

"There's no way you can make me change! Saibaman, I command you to attack him, now!" Raditz ordered his frail ally, wanting him to fight more, but it suddenly stared at him like a statue. He wondered what happened to it. "What are you staring at? I command you to get them now!" he ordered one more time, but it took no action.

The Saibaman gave a flabbergasted, confused look, but inside, a sinister energy was growing.

"Why wouldn't he do anything?" Goku asked as he saw the sudden stillness in it.

Bardock was quiet for a moment. He observed what was wrong with it as well. It was not too long that he realized what it was intending to do.

_"This power I'm sensing. It's very-"_ Bardock's eyes suddenly widened.

"What are you waiting for, you fool?" Raditz hollered at the Saibaman. "Go get them or else I will have to kill you instead!" he furiously stomped towards the creature, feeling himself getting confused and angry again.

He growled and tightened his fists. He closed his eyes, feeling himself fuming up. They were no options left but desperate ones, those that cannot even prove his point. He felt angered towards his family, their pride slowly fading from existence with no reason, but there should be a reason and that reason he was given disturbed him too much. He thought it was wrong. Saiyans should be savage beasts, should they?

He was also angry towards Frieza, that horrible emperor who destroyed their home planet all along; all his lies, his nasty laughter, his hungry eyes, craving for more power and domination. How terrible he was! All the confusion and anger swiveling his head had his emotions took over his thinking.

He could not contain himself anymore.

"RARGH!" he shouted as loud as he could, making the Z-warriors jump in surprise. He shouted to the entire world. "I have enough of this nonsense! I have enough of all of this! I can't take it anymore! You will all die!"

In excess of fear and anger, Raditz was out of his mind. With no further delay, he flew towards Bardock, his own father, and attacked him once again at will.

"What?" Bardock saw the flare in his eyes, but dodged his perilous attack as it almost came towards his face. He had never seen him this angry before in his life, but he had to stop him. He understood how he felt very much, but he cannot let him suffer like this anymore.

"Don't you run from me!" Raditz gave another punch, yet his father parried it with no sweat. He gave more punches and blows, wanting to go off his rocker. He felt like not himself anymore. However, none of his attacks even hit his opponent.

Bardock let himself caught unguarded for a second. He received quite a painful punch on his face from Raditz. It had power in it and it felt quite aggravating too. He bit his lip. He turned his head slowly to face him.

"You-!" Bardock countered with a punch of his own, sending his son a much powerful pain to all over his body.

"Augh!" Raditz was pushed back several feet away from him, but he stopped and persisted to fight more.

"I will never give up. You are a disgrace to the Saiyans!" Raditz came for it again, his feet levitating in air and giving another powerful blow to Bardock. His punches left trails of heavy winds and red aura behind.

However, Bardock found the right timing to hit him before Raditz could even make his move. In one swift movement, he gracefully back-flipped as quick as he could, hitting Raditz's chin, sending more ache to at least wake him up from his insane mind.

Raditz was pushed back again several feet, but persisted to fight more. He tried to take a huge step, but he then abruptly felt himself locked in one place. He suddenly felt his body being compressed, coiled in metal chains.

Bardock's hair swiftly went with the winds when he did that graceful back-flipped, but his eyes slowly widened in sudden worry as he saw and felt something not right in the air.

"What?" Raditz turned around to see his very own Saibaman, hurtfully keeping him still and not making him move.

"Wragh!" the creature screeched, its eyes going off in different directions and sticking its tongue out. There was something definitely wrong with it.

"No! Let me go!" Raditz said to the defective Saibaman, realizing it was malfunctioning from the cause of Bardock's attacks. He felt a chilling feeling from the creature; a sinister energy inside about to disintegrate.

Lights suddenly started to come out from the Saibaman, surrounding Raditz then with the white rays. The feeling of the sinister energy was growing stronger and much more fearful.

Piccolo and Goku sensed the ki also and they felt it was something they needed to take immediate action from.

"What is this?" Piccolo said, his voice breaking suddenly.

Goku clutched his knocked out son, Gohan, still protectively in his arms, knowing it was going to be too late to run, but to avoid it instead. "That power-we must take cover!"

Piccolo and Goku then covered themselves in protection. Goku protectively shielded his son from the clutches of evil, promising he will never let anything happen to him. They closed their eyes and hated to imagine what will ever happen next.

That was when Bardock truly knew something was going to happen. He precisely knew what it was. He had seen that event before in one of his visions.

"No-no!" Bardock then ran for it, his mind focusing in one direction. He tried to catch up with Raditz, his speed quickly building up.

The sinister energy immediately reached its peak and shook off violently. The Saibaman screeched and bounced more rays of fiery lights from its body while Raditz was completely helpless to break free.

"Wragh!" the Saibaman screamed one last time, making itself put into its own demise and unfortunately…his master too.

"NO! RARGH!" Raditz yelled to the entire world. His eyes were closed in trembling fear.

It was too late. The lights became too bright, which forced Bardock to stop to where he was. He covered his entire body and face in protection with winds suddenly battering all of the fighters. All Bardock could do now was to call out for his eldest son in desperation. "No, Raditz! MY SON!"

_BOOM!_


	7. Memories Lost

Episode 7

Memories Lost

Bardock stood dormant, his feet felt like buried in freezing ice. He could not understand why he cannot move or utter another word. His eyes gazed over his immobile son. He trembled and hated to find out what could have happened to him.

Few moments drifted by and suddenly, Bardock was able to get back to himself. Instead of running like a panicky freak, he anxiously walked over to Raditz. His feet barely made any sounds of footsteps, but his eyes, again, showed more emotions than his body language.

Piccolo and Goku remained speechless as their eyes watched the walking Bardock, seeing his hair jiggling within every step he took and his eyes revealing flames of anger, yet also anxiety. Bardock started to feel more troubled whenever he went nearer towards his son.

He stopped when he was close to him. His eyes continued to stare. Bardock took a deep breath and knelt down, holding Raditz by his neck and body. "Raditz?" he said in a whisper.

Piccolo and Goku were a bit at wonder why he was so concerned about him if he was only an evil Saiyan who wanted to conquer the entire world?

Before Bardock could scream in anger or do anything, which indicated his emotions had already reached its peak, he checked his son's pulse first. His face instantly became shocked when he felt a faint beating from him. "What the? Raditz, you're alive?"

Piccolo and Goku were surprised also. How could a person survive a brutal explosion?

"He's alive?" Goku said.

Bardock needed to take the next action before anything worse could happen because of time delay. He turned to Goku. "Hey, Kakarot!"

Surprisingly enough, Goku turned to him and listened to what he needed to say even though he despised his "real" name.

"Kakarot, by any chance do you have some sort of a treatment center around here?" Bardock hurriedly asked.

Goku nodded in response. "Well, yeah. Luckily enough, it's not that far," but then he began to have his doubts again. He questioned him back why he wanted to treat Raditz back to health after all the horrible deeds he had done and his intention to do to Earth if he gained victory.

However, Bardock argued. He did not care about that at the very moment. "Let's deal with that later. For now, let's treat his wounds quick!"

Goku looked at him. For some reason, he trusted him though he did not know why. In his heart, Goku felt Bardock knew what to do.

"All right, I'll escort you," Goku finally decided with uncertainty. He nodded to Piccolo, giving him a brief farewell. He had trust in him that he would not do anything sneaky behind his back while his gone, especially knowing about his future plans for world domination. He held his son, Gohan, tightly in his arms who was already fast asleep.

"Let's go!" Bardock said. Both of the identical Saiyans soared under the shining sun and the gleaming clouds with Raditz, unconscious.

Their speed was quite equal and whilst they flew, Bardock observed Goku. He had never thought Goku would be able to undertake Raditz's beating; regardless that he had a very weak fighting power level for a Saiyan.

While they soared at hyper speed with Goku being at front, Bardock glanced at him and thought, "_Kakarot, you have really changed. Just like what I saw in my visions. But…do you truly believe I'm your father?"_

Goku noticed his strange staring and turned to look at him. "Hmm, are you all right?"

Bardock snapped out from his weird gazing. "What? Yeah, I'm fine."

Again, they kept themselves silent as they flew. Bardock thought they were indeed definitely like strangers as if they only met just today. He then glanced at Gohan. He was a bit uncertain who he was; however, he can see some resemblance from Goku. Must be one of his relatives, he thought.

Goku cut off the silence when he brought up a nervous question. "I have a simple question. Hope it'll not offend you."

Bardock did not get about the offending part, but let him spit out his question anyway. "…? What is it?"

Goku raised a brow. "Are you sure I'm this guy named 'Kakarot'?"

Bardock did not respond. He did not know what to say or what the answer he should give, which could be so many and could be right. Before he could answer, Goku finally saw the hospital in a very busy city. Goku pointed to the west direction. "Oh look! There's the hospital! Let's go!"

Bardock answered his question in his mind only. _"Whatever you believe. You will understand sooner or later…"_

The two hurriedly landed on the pavements of the busy metropolis. Bardock was amazed when he stared at the buildings. He had never seen such a sight, seeing many people walking around with their parents, children, friends or relatives. Cars were passing by simultaneously. Different stores and shops were adjacent to each other and some acted as one humongous mall. There were streetlights at every block and it was very noisy. Regardless of all this noisiness, the place was well organized, very clean, and everything seemed to be at place. For a second there, it was nature while Bardock flew, but when he landed, it was now a busy street.

"_Earth,"_ Bardock said to himself.

"Hey, this way!" Goku called as they ran to the hospital. Both of them then rushed into the emergency room.

Piccolo stood at one place while the winds whistled so softly. His clothes were fluttering with the fleet of air. He looked at his surroundings, from every bush to mountain. So many things have happened today, which did not really show any sense for now.

"Who was that man? He looks a lot like Goku. Raditz says that's his and Goku's father," Piccolo then thought about Gohan next, "and Goku's son, his power level just increased exceptionally! It got him to a point where he weakened Raditz. Even _I_ couldn't do that!"

Piccolo then thought about Raditz. "Hmm…the enemy we faced today posed a very serious threat, yet the one named Bardock is even stronger than him. Why bother though nursing that Saiyan back to health? His only intention is to conquer the Earth again, which is my only goal! Yet if he ever tries to pursue his evil deeds and I'm force to join forces with Goku again, are we also going to join forces with Bardock? Can we even trust the man named Bardock at all?"

He continued to ask questions with no answers provided for any of them.

In the medical center where Raditz was taken to treat his wounds, the unconscious Saiyan lied on the comfy, hospital bed. A retractable oxygen mask was on his mouth. Few visible vapor breaths were appearing on his mask as he exhaled deeply. His eyes were shut close, his wounds covered in bandages and his entire body kept warm with blankets.

Bardock patiently, yet anxiously stood by the windowpane, and looked outside. His arms were a bit shaky. Goku sat on one of the visitor chairs along with the sleeping Gohan in his arms. They waited for the doctor to give the diagnosis to them after he checked up with Raditz.

The doctor soon came in with a clipboard filled with papers and records on it. He cleared his throat which made Goku and Bardock turn to him in attention.

"Patient…" he then looked at the patient's name again on the clipboard, "Patient Raditz manages to survive after all. Now that turns out to be a great blessing, but as we took some tests, we found out that he has amnesia."

"Amnesia?" the two Saiyans said.

"Yes, his brain is damaged at one particular spot where all the memories are stored."

Bardock's eyes narrowed. He gave a serious look. "Is it permanent?"

The doctor shook his head. "No, it's only a temporary amnesia. His memories will eventually get back to their place. The only treatment for his memories to be restored is to take him to particular places he knows, show him certain things, whichever it takes to help him remember again. You will have to see when he wakes up. I will be back temporary to see how Patient Raditz is doing and prescribe any medication if he needs some after further tests. I will also provide you more details about how to cure his amnesia, all right?" the doctor smiled and left the room.

Bardock watched as he left. He then gave an inaudible sigh, but kept up a firm and stiff body. He continued to stare outside the window, but his mind was filled with nothing, but uncertainty about the future and what will yet to come.

Goku glanced at the silent Bardock, continuing to hold Gohan in his arms. He felt kind of sorry for him. He wanted to say something, to cheer him up at least, but decided to conceal his lips from saying anything.

Once again, Goku felt that strange bonding from him; a very strange connection, but it did little to convince him easily that Bardock was his true father. Goku then looked at his son and said nothing still, which kept the entire room silent.

Raditz continued to breathe heavily with his hands relaxed on the fabric sheets.

At Mount Paozu where Goku and his family lived, the birds sang and chirped. The sweet nature surrounded their home.

A hovering car then parked beside their house and out came a huge man with a bushy mustache and a hat with two horns similar to an ox. He carried loads of presents on his arms. It was Ox-King, who once lived in a castle at Fire Mountain engulfed with flames. At first glance, people misinterpreted him as "The Emperor of Demons," but actually appeared to be a carefree and very fun, loving father of Chi-Chi. After meeting Goku and his friends, Ox-King changed his lifestyle into a normal one, including how he wears as well. After Chi-Chi married Goku, he often visits his daughter from time to time.

Ox-King called out. "Chi-Chi, my sweet daughter!"

Chi-Chi was busy cleaning the living room until she heard the call. "Huh? It's Dad!" she happily opened the door and greeted her father. "Hi, Dad, how you've been?"

"Hello, Chi-Chi. I'm doing pretty good." the Ox-King greeted her back with a cheerful smile. "I got some presents for my grandson, Gohan. Oh, I can't wait how he grew up these past four years."

Chi-Chi happily laughed. "Oh Dad!"

Raditz was still paralyzed and knocked out, yet he continued to breathe heavily on his oxygen mask. Bardock's heart was beating so fast, worrying what his son could become when he wakes up. Goku continued to sit and hold Gohan in his arms. They all waited patiently.

Bardock glimpsed at his youngest son and wanted to ask him something concerning about the little boy in his arms. "Who's that kid you're holding?"

"Huh?" Goku looked at his son, then to him and said, "This is Gohan. He's my son."

Bardock's eyes widened a little. He should not be all that surprised, but he was anyway. He had never thought he would become a grandfather so soon. He felt already old. _"He's my grandson then. And Gohan? Now, what kind of a name is that?" _he questioned. No Saiyan's name was that weird. It was very uncommon. Usually a Saiyan's name was always a pun on vegetables.

Gohan then started to wake up. He rubbed his eyes from his deep slumber. When he woke up, he was confused at first why he was seeing pastel-colored walls and stoned floorboards where he should be seeing a battlefield with fighters battling each other. "Where am I? I thought I was-"

"Gohan, you're awake," Goku said with a smile on his face.

"Daddy?" Gohan had a wide smile on his face. All he wanted was to see his father, and so he was more than happy to see him alive and well. "Daddy, you're okay!" he then embraced him tightly with his small arms.

Bardock watched as they cuddled. He gave a serious look, but felt a little jealous inside. Goku and Raditz were his two sons too, yet he never got to hold them both in so many years. He felt like they hated him. On the other hand though, since he was a very coldblooded and tough warrior, he should not be acting like this. He had more important things to take care of especially in the future.

Goku then placed his son on the floor. Gohan queried. "Daddy, where are we? I thought you were fighting with that mean person?"

Goku gave a nervous smile. "Well, I-uh-well, you see, many things have been going on, Gohan. Something happened when you were asleep. Promise me you'll stay calm after I show someone to you, all right?"

"Okay," Gohan nodded.

Goku then turned his son facing to where Raditz was lying in the bed. "You see him?"

Gohan nearly screamed as he still remembered the horrors Raditz had done, but instead he gasped in fright and hid behind his father's legs. "Aah! It's that mean person! What happened, Daddy? Why is he here? I thought you have defeated him?"

Bardock tilted his head to the side. For a kid at his age, he was speaking his mind already. He also assumed Raditz had done too much to this world, which led his brother and his nephew all in terror, stress, and struggle. He felt extremely irritated.

"It's okay, Gohan. He's not gonna hurt you anymore," reassured Goku. He scratched his head as he thought of how he could explain Raditz's accident in a four-year old language. "You see, something happened that kinda erased his bad nature."

"Bad nature? So you mean he's not a bad guy anymore?" asked Gohan.

Goku paused for a moment, not knowing what to follow-up next. "Yeah, you could say that."

Bardock decided to step in, wanting to make this straightforward. He had a very solemn face when he spoke. "He has amnesia. Do you know what that means?"

"Amnesia? Yes, I do know what that means. So his memories are temporarily erased, right?" replied Gohan. When he turned around to face Bardock, he was very interested why this man looked very much like his father.

Bardock was surprised that a kid for his age, once again, knew such medical terms. He was quite impressed. He wondered what kind of studies he had been doing. "Yes, that's right."

"So will his bad nature come back when his amnesia cures?" asked Gohan very innocently.

Bardock did not really give an answer for the moment. "_…_I don't know_…_" he turned around and said to himself, _"I hope."_

Once again, silenced filled the room.

And then Gohan asked another question. "Um, Mister?"

Bardock knew he was the oldest around here and so he turned to the little child.

"I have a question, Mister. What's your name? I haven't seen you before," Gohan asked.

"Um, my name is Bardock."

"Bardock? Nice to meet you, Mister Bardock," Gohan then bowed down, giving respect. He gave a very wide smile, indicating he was pleased to meet him. "You look so much like my daddy. Are you brothers?"

"Uh-well-that I-"

Goku approached Gohan. "In fact, Gohan, Bardock says here that he's my father."

"Oh really? Then he's my grandfather then!" and the young boy was very happy to have another member included into the family.

Yet Bardock knew Goku only said the facts because parents, of course, do not lie to their children. He could sense Goku, looking at his expression he still was not convinced yet. Bardock perfectly understood that. At least the young boy here, Gohan, was easily convinced. It was strange though how the young boy was not that timid to introduce himself, when the parent could introduce their kids to new people, he believed, unless the child was more than happy to socialize with others him or herself. He guessed Goku still not believed Bardock was his actual father made him said nothing.

Not too long, Raditz then started to nudge and shuffle, making moaning sounds. "…mmm_…"_

Bardock, Goku, and Gohan turned to see the waking Raditz. The injured warrior slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurred, and seeing nothing, but the ceiling at first. As he situated himself, Raditz's face instantly turned shocked and quickly sat up as if something disturbed him. He could not remember anything or recall what happened in the past. He was confused where he was, why he was here, and perhaps maybe his own name.

Raditz began to shake anxiously, feeling confusion and deep dread upon him, but those feelings instantly faded away when he turned to see Bardock, he could barely speak. "What the? Are you-"

Bardock waited for his response. He began to worry if he had also forgotten about him.

"No, wait. It's you! Ba-Bardock! Father!" Raditz said in surprise.

Bardock was in relief. At least his fragile brain did not forget about him, he thought. "Yes, it's me, Raditz."

"Father-I-" before Raditz could do anything else, he stopped himself first, trying to see where he was. He then turned to face his father again and said with a very sorrowful voice. "Father, all these years…I've been wondering what happened to you after that meteor that crashed into our home planet. I was so worried, but then…" Raditz put his head down for a moment.

He felt he wanted to embrace him then, but something restricted him from doing that.

Bardock approached his eldest son a little. The amnesia he had provided a major, sudden change in his personality. He had suddenly turned into a kind-hearted person. He kept in mind though this was only temporary. _"Guess he…completely forgot…"_

Before Raditz could speak any further, he noticed someone very similar to his father, standing by the small windowpane with a small child. He stammered while he spoke. "Huh? Ka-Kakarot? Is that you?"

Goku turned to face him. He chuckled nervously, scratching his head. "Huh? Yes, I am! Heh, heh!" he gave a nervous smile. _"Gosh, I'm not even sure what I'm saying!"_

Raditz looked at him from head to toe, seeing a major change in his appearance. Like the "opposite side" of Raditz now, he was glad to see his younger brother. If he was still evil, he would have harassed him already. "You have fully grown. In case you don't know, I'm Raditz, your older brother."

"Yeah!" Goku exclaimed very nervously. "I-uh-knew that in the first place. Bardock, err, told me. Eh, heh!"

Raditz then noticed the young boy beside Goku. He did not look familiar to him. "Huh? Kakarot, who's that young child beside you?"

Gohan backed away a little, still feeling afraid of Raditz. Goku held his son by his shoulders and said, "This is Gohan, my son."

"Your son?" Raditz was very surprised. He gave a very weak smile though. "It's nice to meet you, Gohan. Then that makes you my nephew then."

Gohan stammered a little. "Ye-Yes."

But with so many family members included in the group, already, Raditz was beginning to wonder why his brother looked so gullible and his father looking like he was hiding something from him. The young child looked scared stiff. Should they be all happy to see him? And if his younger brother had already started a family, how can that be possible if almost the entire Saiyan race had been destroyed, including all the female Saiyans (which was quite a rare sight for the Saiyan males)?

His questions began to flood his confused mind. Raditz gripped the blankets and asked, "Father, where am I? It's all a blur. I can't seem to remember anything."

Bardock tried to answer, trying to think what he should say that will prevent from remembering the memories that were erased from his head. "Um, you suffered a terrible accident. You're in the hospital now, treating your wounds. I guess you survived like now."

"I did?" Raditz observed his surroundings and outside the window, but had no clue where he was, "but what exactly is this place?"

Bardock stumbled a bit. "Planet Earth."

"Planet Earth?" Raditz inquired, not having any idea how he got here in the first place. He did not know his mission was to find his younger brother and then conquer this planet afterwards. Thanks to his amnesia, he did not even know he was actually a killer Saiyan.

"What kind of accident?" Raditz questioned him, sounding serious. His eyes were slowly narrowing, becoming like his father's expression. He looked at him as if he was about to begin a serious battle.

Bardock saw the look in his eyes. Whenever his son's expression turned serious and solemn, it felt like he was becoming an evil again. Bardock did not know what to say, and made a short eye contact on Goku. Goku shrugged softly. They did not know what to respond with. Any answer could trigger the memories Raditz lost.

Bardock folded his arms and looked at him. All he could say was this. "No need to go deeper in the hole. All you have to know is that you suffered under an accident, but survived. That's all there is to it, understand?"

Raditz only believed him a little, but since this was his father, he only nodded and took consideration into his words. "All_…_right."

Bardock went by the door and opened it. "I'm gonna go outside for a while to get some fresh air," he then left and closed the door without saying another word.

Goku was becoming more anxious. He stared at the confused Raditz who had his head filled with deep thoughts and questions. _"Oh man, this'll be quite difficult. His accident's only temporary. I could almost feel his dark nature, which just faded away, gradually coming back. This isn't good."_

Raditz can feel something not right in the atmosphere. He stared at his younger brother, his nephew, and recalled the expression on his father's face. They were not that happy to see him and he suspected they were hiding something from him. _"I feel like I'm being kept ignorant of something, but what? Why am I doing on Earth in the first place? What kind of accident did I have? Why everyone's suddenly ignoring me? I need to know!"_ Raditz clutched the blankets tighter in frustration.

At the roof of the hospital, there sat Bardock. The winds were creating a calmer scene, but it cannot calm the mind of Bardock at all. His expression was so deep, looking like he had drifted into a different realm. His hair and the laces of his bandanna were dancing in the wind. His eyes were much narrowed_. "The truth is I don't even know what to do from here. All I could do now is…hope a miracle would happen."_


	8. First Okay Day

Episode 8

First "Okay" Day

After five days of resting, Raditz was quite recovered. During those five days, Bardock was the one who stayed with Raditz day and night while Goku needed to head back home to his family every day. It was strange for the doctor to figure Raditz could recover so quickly after a terrible accident. Bardock knew though that Saiyans tended to recuperate much faster than the average human.

"Patient Raditz, it's amazing how your wounds were already healed three days ago," the doctor said. "Your body is very strong indeed, but you need to rest just a little bit more though. Can you get up?"

"I think I can," Raditz thought.

Bardock's attention was caught as someone opened the door. It was Goku along with his son, Gohan.

"Oh hi, everyone!" Goku greeted.

"Hey, Kakarot," Raditz greeted him back and then looked at the little kid, Gohan. The fear in his eyes continued to remain there ever since he first saw his nephew, but it was beginning to waver a little. He still could not understand why he was still here and why his family acted very strange around him.

After looking at Goku's son a little bit more, Raditz suddenly saw a vague picture, or perchance a scene playing in his head with no dialogue. It was then followed with a prick in his head.

"Augh…ow…" groaned Raditz, holding his forehead a little.

Bardock noticed his son's pain. "You all right?"

"Huh? What?" Raditz looked up and felt the pain in his head disappeared. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a light headache, that's all."

"_This might mean something,"_ Goku doubted.

Gohan tried to keep himself brave.

Raditz thought about what the picture was he indistinctly saw. It was strange like a memory that never existed, yet tried to give an unclear significance.

"All right, here's the prescription medicine he needs to take," the doctor said and gave the medicine bottle to Bardock.

Bardock apathetically looked at the prescription closely. It was very different from his home planet. Their medicines were usually smaller in size. Medicine was taken usually for female Saiyans who were pregnant or if Saiyan warriors were in a serious, critical condition, which came mostly from fighting.

"He needs to take two pills every six hours for one week," the doctor said to Bardock. He gave him a small paper to remember the procedures. "The medicine will help fully get his strength back. For his amnesia, we currently don't have a cure for it yet in this century, but you can help him remember by taking him to places or showing him things he's familiar with."

Bardock did not comment on his last sentence, but instead nodded in understanding. "All right, thank you," he said while he looked at Raditz.

His son's head was down and his eyes stared at the blanket though; his still hands with deep focus, uncertainty, and confusion. Bardock gave a little sigh inside his mind. He was obviously not listening, but was thinking about why he was here in the first place.

"Excuse me. I'll be right back," the doctor excused himself and went out for a moment.

Everyone else watched the doctor left and then silence filled up the room once again.

Goku strolled beside Raditz's bed and surprisingly, without fear about his current condition. He looked at him with a smile. "Hey, Raditz, too bad you have to recover more. I wish I have Senzu Beans left so I can give it to you, but the Senzu Beans can't be grown at this time of the season."

"What?" Bardock turned around, looking confused.

"What are…Senzu Beans?" Raditz questioned who was completely lost.

"Oh," Goku laughed under his breath and scratched the back of his head. "Guess I haven't told you yet. Senzu Beans are obviously beans, or can be called medicine, that when eaten, they fully recover one's strength and keep him or her full for ten days straight without eating."

Bardock and Raditz were interested to hear that.

"So you mean when I eat one right now, I'll be a lot better?" Raditz made sure.

"Yep, your strength to the maximum; it keeps you fully energized too," Goku beamed, "but of course, eating too much can be dangerous. That's why taking only one or two during desperate times is strongly advised."

Bardock and Raditz never had "Senzu Beans" in their home planet. They typically tended to heal the hard way whenever if they were in a serious, critical condition. They only needed a few medicines to help them heal, but a medicine making you feel better already in under seconds was something Bardock and Raditz could not believe.

The day was very bright today and it was clear skies.

_"Chirp, chirp!"_ the birds chanted sweetly, but inside Goku's house at Mount Paozu, something inside was not going well.

"Chi-Chi, please! Calm down!" Ox-King tried to calm his daughter when she angrily slammed her cooking pan on the table.

"No! I will not calm down until I know why Goku always has to leave everyday with our son without my consent!" Chi-Chi snapped. "I'm sure he's trying to hide something from me!"

"But, Chi-Chi," her father said, "I'm sure your husband's not hiding anything-"

"He _is_!" Chi-Chi argued. "Maybe Goku took the advantage to train Gohan martial arts under Master Roshi!"

"If that's the case, I'm sure learning martial arts will not hurt a bit for his education-"

"Education is important for Gohan!" the strict mother defended. "He will not miss a day at school! Who cares about martial arts? It's just a waste of energy! You know how Master Roshi's training goes? It's too dangerous for my baby!"

Chi-Chi started visualizing how much Gohan would suffer if he trained under the Turtle Hermit. She pictured Master Roshi making Gohan go through very dangerous tasks and training sessions just to become one of the strongest fighters in the world. Gohan would have to do intensive training day and night; some might even lead him to a very serious condition. Chi-Chi burst into tears just by thinking of it.

Ox-King gave a deep sigh and scratched his head. "Like always, Chi-Chi's getting too overprotective lately."

Raditz finally checked out from the hospital. After Raditz and his family prepared themselves, they went behind the hospital.

"Flying Nimbus!" Goku cried out and the yellow-puff cloud strolled beside him. Goku and Gohan hopped on it. In reaction to seeing this weird-looking cloud that acted like a transportation system made Bardock and Raditz's eyes narrowed and their lips very thin.

"Huh? Oh," Goku realized the reasons behind their staring. He explained to them that this was Flying Nimbus and what the cloud can actually do.

"That's…interesting," said Raditz after hearing facts about the cloud with a bit of uncertainty in his voice. Still, it was very bizarre to him to see things like these. There was nothing like this in their home planet.

"Well, let's go!" said Goku, holding Gohan firmly into his arms and took flight. Raditz and Bardock followed him afterwards.

As they flew, they discussed.

"Well," began Goku, "what do you want to do now?" he said which made Raditz and Bardock stare at him again. Well, this was his planet so there should be plenty of activities to do.

"Hmm, I know, I'll introduce you to my wife," decided Goku. "Follow me!" and the four soared through the skies.

Few moments later, the door bell from Goku's house rang.

_Ding dong!_

"Oh, I wonder who could that be," Ox-King asked.

Chi-Chi was cooking some lunch in her kitchen. She stopped cooking when she heard the door bell. "It better be Goku," she said while wiping her wet hands on her apron.

Chi-Chi stomped so loudly and made her way to the door. Her father was beginning to get afraid of her bad temper today. She opened the door with frustration and indeed, Goku and Gohan were there, just like she expected, but did not give them a happy welcome.

"Hi, Chi-Chi," waved Goku with a bit of a nervous laugh in the end. He knew he was going to be in trouble for leaving so sudden for the past few days with Gohan without Chi-Chi's approval.

"Oh yes, you _are_ in trouble, Mister," said Chi-Chi, her voice beginning to get louder and louder. She crossed her arms and asked, "Now tell me right now. Where did you bring Gohan these past few days?"

Gohan innocently looked at his father, wondering what his answer should be. A fierce battle had taken place five days ago, an evil warrior had tried to conquer the entire planet, a fighter had come to help them, but it felt like evil continued to stir. How would his father explain this to his mother?

"Well," Goku scratched his head. He entered inside their house and tried to put it into simplest words. "It's kinda hard to explain, but something bad happened during our reunion with Master Roshi, Bulma, and Krillin."

Chi-Chi raised a brow.

"There's this new bad guy that came to Earth and he was trying to conquer the planet," said Goku. "I tried to stop him, but he was too strong!"

Chi-Chi gasped in surprise. "Was my baby involved?"

Goku almost melted when he heard that. He nodded nervously. "Yeah…kind of…"

"Oh no!" Chi-Chi ran to Gohan and checked his arms and face for any wounds or bruises. "Are you okay, my baby? Whoever this guy is, I'm going to teach him a lesson!"

"But wait, Chi-Chi!" Goku tried to halt his impatient, frustrated wife. "He was then caught in an accident. He's now on amnesia. And because of that, his evil nature changed to good. Well, at least for only temporary."

"Amnesia? Then…where were you the past five days then?" asked Chi-Chi, still checking her son for any injuries.

Goku was speechless for a moment. "We took him to the hospital to treat his wounds."

"What?" exclaimed Chi-Chi. She stomped towards angrily to her husband and eyed at him directly. "That was a dumb decision you just made, Goku! That amnesia will eventually go away and he'll revert back to an evil person again and he will try to hurt my baby, Gohan, again!" cried out Chi-Chi. She almost burst into tears.

"I didn't suggest that! Another person who came to help us fight the bad guy said he wanted to treat his wounds," said Goku.

"And who's this person?"

Goku was once again speechless. "A warrior I don't even know."

"And you listened to him?"

Goku sheepishly looked at her. "Yeah."

Chi-Chi felt she could explode in any second. Goku admitted what he did was a very wrong action, but there was something about Bardock. His words told him that he should listen to him. Again, he felt strangely connected to Bardock, but he will never believe that he was his true father. He needed some time to think about it and decide for himself.

Miraculously, Chi-Chi did not explode or anything. She instead crossed her arms and asked, "Are they here now?"

"Yeah," answered Goku. "In fact, they're right outside."

Goku pointed to Bardock and Raditz who were waiting patiently outside. As they waited, they observed their surroundings and Goku's house.

Chi-Chi was surprised to see Bardock given that he looked so much similar to her husband. "Who's that? Your brother?"

Goku shook his head and laughed. He told his wife that, that was Bardock, his father and the one beside him was Raditz who was his older brother. Deep down Goku's heart, nevertheless, he still did not accept they were related to him by blood, especially seeing the cold look on their faces and their reckless attitudes inside; particularly, Raditz, who tried to kill them.

"You never told me you have a brother and a father," questioned Chi-Chi. She never liked it when her husband tried to hide secrets from her.

"I never knew them. I never met them when I was a kid. I just only met them just a few days ago!" exclaimed Goku.

Chi-Chi folded her arms again, wondering how Goku became isolated from his family. She felt sorry by just thinking of it. Her husband was adopted after all. He was also raised in the woods by his adoptive grandfather, Grandpa Gohan.

She looked into Goku's eyes of innocence and suddenly, she could feel all the troubles he had to go through. She calmed down, letting her exhausted husband relax. She decided she wanted to meet Goku's family.

"Okay then," Goku said. He told his son, Gohan, to just stay inside the house with his grandfather. Gohan obeyed.

Goku and Chi-Chi stepped out from their house. Their light rustling through the grasses made Bardock and Raditz turned around. They both looked at Goku and the lady, a very beautiful lady, who appeared to look like a Saiyan a bit. Judging by her fit body, she knew how to do excellent martial arts. Bardock felt her power level though and realized it was only similar to the average human; not a Saiyan.

"Hi again," Goku approached the two and introduced Chi-Chi to them. "This is my wife, Chi-Chi."

Raditz found this extremely strange. He knew their home planet was vaporized and that no Saiyan survived except for them. He was also certain no female Saiyans survived also (there were actually more male Saiyans and very less female Saiyans) and it seemed a male Saiyan, in general, was only interested in marrying his own kind, not others, so he can pass on the "fighting" traits to the next generation. His brother here married a human and he just found that to be quite odd.

Due to that thought, Raditz also to began to question his brother's cheerful and happy personality. Again, it was peculiar. Were Saiyans before coldblooded and heartless?

Again, Raditz's head began to ache once more, but he tried to fight the pain since he cannot show what he felt in front of his guests. He only clenched his fists, but Bardock could sense what he felt inside and he began to worry a little.

"Hello," Chi-Chi said very politely. "You must be Goku's father and brother."

Bardock and Raditz did not know what to do first. They assumed the culture here in Earth was different from their home planet. In Planet Vegeta, when they greet, they usually placed a hand on their chests, knelt down, and bowed like a warrior.

Bardock went first. "Hello, yes, my name is Bardock," he greeted, extending his arm to shake her hand instead. "I'm his father."

"Hello, Mr. Bardock. It's nice to meet you," nodded Chi-Chi, shaking his hand as well.

Bardock sighed. Thank goodness he did that right.

"Hi, my name is Raditz, his older brother," he said.

"It's nice to meet you too," Chi-Chi smiled. "Where are you from?"

Bardock and Raditz knew they must lie a little bit since Goku's wife may not understand at first, which will lead into such a hectic situation. She may in time as they become familiar with each other.

"We're somewhere…far away from this place," Bardock said. "We came from a…city just west from here…?" he replied, giving an uncertain look and voice.

"Which metropolis? The South West City?" Chi-Chi named a place.

Bardock shrugged his shoulders and just nodded. "Yes."

"Well, it's nice to meet you both," Chi-Chi again said and then turned to Goku.

Goku placed his hands on his blue belt. "Of course, so can we eat now?" the warrior suddenly switched to another topic with a pleading look.

Bardock and Raditz's eyes widened a little. After all, aside from fighting, Saiyans also loved to eat to maintain their strengths.

"After all the trouble you put to our baby," Chi-Chi was about to burst again, but she calmed down, "but all right, I'll forgive you this time, Goku."

"Okay!" Goku gave a cute smile.

Chi-Chi then asked her brother-in-law and father-in-law. "We would love for you to visit. Why not stay with us for a while?"

Raditz and Bardock stared at each other and thought it was inappropriate to invite new guests in especially if they were not too familiar with each other yet. Chi-Chi actually agreed, and had also thought that either way, Chi-Chi did not have any extra rooms for Bardock and Raditz to stay anyway.

Goku considered for a moment and an idea came up to his head. "I know! Why not you stay at Kame House?"

"Kame House? What's that?" asked Bardock.

"Well, basically it's just a small house within a very small island. My former master and my best friends live there. Maybe they'll be able to give you extra rooms to sleep in," explained Goku.

Raditz was kind of struck that Goku had a former teacher. He guessed that teacher was the one who must have taught him some martial arts. Once more, it was odd because Saiyan children usually start training by themselves and with their parents; sometimes, training classes were brought out of necessity. In other situations, the talent comes to them naturally.

"That's fine," Bardock agreed.

"Let's go, I'll take you there," Goku said.

"Make sure you get back before dinner gets cold!" Chi-Chi said.

"I will. Come on," Goku said and the three flew under the skies with the sun beginning to set.

Chi-Chi was quite surprised the two new guests knew how to fly. After all, they were related by blood anyway.

At Kame House, Krillin, Bulma, Master Roshi, and Turtle were very anxious what could have ever happened the past five days ever since the mysterious threat named Raditz came to them.

"I'm still worried…" Krillin said anxiously as he sat on the couch.

"Yeah, I know," agreed Bulma, preparing some cold juices for her friends in the kitchen. "I wonder what happened to Goku."

"Well, what can we do?" Master Roshi asked them. "There's no way for us to win in such a battle like that."

The door bell rang.

"I'll get it," Krillin went to the door and opened it slightly. "Hello, can I-what?" who he saw was his best friend, Goku, in very good shape and health.

"Yo," Goku greeted him with the best smile he could possible give.

"Goku! You're okay!" exclaimed Krillin in relief and excitement.

"What?" Bulma and Master Roshi including Turtle went to Krillin and _did _saw Goku with their very own eyes.

"Goku! Oh thank goodness, you're safe!" Bulma was very relieved.

Goku happily laughed. "It was such a very challenging battle, but I was able to pull through."

"Where's Piccolo?" asked Master Roshi.

"He went back to training," answered Goku and then made a fist. "And if he ever tries to conquer the planet again, I'll be there to stop him."

"You actually survived the grueling battle with that so-called Raditz?" Master Roshi was impressed. "Man, he's one tough guy, isn't he? First he tortured you, and now I bet you gave him a very good lesson! I bet you kicked his butt and sent him off to space!"

Goku gulped very hard to hear that since his friends did not realize Bardock and Raditz were standing behind him and the "reformed" Raditz heard what Master Roshi said. It was a great thing he had temporary amnesia, but still they needed to be careful in what they were saying or it might trigger some of his lost memories back; or worse, his evil nature.

"Well, actually no," Goku nervously answered Master Roshi's question.

"No?" Goku's friends exclaimed. If he was okay, where was the enemy now?

Goku scratched his head. "Look, it's a long story and might be a little confusing, but I'm sure you'll understand after I talk with you all in just a few minutes," Goku then glanced at Bardock and Raditz and nervously smiled, telling to hang tight for a while as he needed to discuss something with his friends.

"Take all the time you need," said Bardock.

"Thanks!" Goku waved and pushed his friends inside and closed the door behind them. It was a good thing his friends did not see Raditz behind him. They were too happy and distracted to see Goku survived the fight. If they were to see his brother, they would have panicked already.

Raditz was getting confused bit by bit. Everyone around him acted strange and that his family knew of something he did not. He was also shocked and perplexed by what Master Roshi said, about that he had tortured his younger brother before? How could he do such a very sinful thing? Ironically, what he did not know, and cannot remembered that he did torture Goku and his screams of pain felt pleasing to his ears.

Several minutes later, Goku was back and told Raditz and Bardock were very welcomed to Kame House and they can stay as long as they wanted. Bardock and Raditz nodded. However, once they entered inside of the warm cozy home, Goku's friends had nervous smiles on their faces and were shaking all over, but they did not seem to notice they were trembling.

"Well, hello there," Bulma's voice quivered as she greeted the Saiyans.

"Nice to meet you all. I heard you're Goku's relatives," nervously welcomed Master Roshi.

"Yeah, very surprising!" Krillin said, but inside his mind, worries were plaguing. _"Man, Raditz's memories are lost, but Goku said they will come back. What if he suddenly remembers all of his recollections during the middle of the night? This is too risky!" _he gulped very hard.

Goku took one last look to make sure everything was going well. He finally decided to leave. He told Bardock and Raditz the plans they can do for tomorrow. "Why not I come visit you two tomorrow and give you a tour around this place and introduce you to some of my other friends?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Raditz was willing to meet them.

"Sure," Bardock said.

"Well, have a good evening, Bardock. You too, Raditz!" waved Goku happily.

"Bye, Kakarot," Raditz smiled.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Bardock nodded.

"Bye," Goku soared into the skies and made his way home, but before that, he took one last look at his reformed older brother, which made Raditz looked at him back in wonder. Goku hoped even though his temporary amnesia will be cured, Raditz will remain good at heart. He will be praying for it every day.

For Bardock, all what Goku needed was time to think and decide.

Goku waved another time and soared into the night skies.

When Raditz and Bardock turned around, Bulma, Krillin, Master Roshi, and Turtle continued to stand in anxiety and pretended hospitality.

"Um, okay. Follow me. We got some extra rooms to let you stay for a while. Eh, heh!" the Turtle Hermit escorted the Saiyans.

Raditz and Bardock felt not really welcomed; particularly for Raditz who suspected something was going on; however, they were surprised that a turtle can actually talk? The Saiyans' eyes widened and had nervous sweat drops on their heads.

At 9:30 P.M. at Goku's home, everyone peacefully slept. Ox-King decided to stay in his daughter's house for a few days to spend time with his grandson. He snored loudly as he dwelt in a deep slumber.

Goku lent out the loudest snore. He needed to take a very good rest from all the troubles and worries he witnessed for the past few days. Perhaps a good night sleep will make his mind, body, and heart feel all better tomorrow.

Gohan was tucked under his warm blankets while his mother fluffed his pillow. He slept like a little baby, dreaming of many good dreams and sweet things.

"Goodnight, my little scholar," Chi-Chi whispered to her son, stroking his hair.

At Kame House, everybody slept also.

Master Roshi snored and was having an obvious dream, dreaming about attractive women and hoped someday, he will get one soon. "Rare beauty chicks all over the globe. Eh, heh…" he talked in his dream.

Krillin was having an obvious dream too. Ever since he was a teenager, he always dreamt of having the perfect soul mate of his life. He wished with all of his heart the perfect lady will come looking for him soon as he will also look for his perfect soul mate. "Zzz…yeah, honey, sure."

Bulma slept as well with her beautiful face resting on the side of her pillow and her body comfortably tucked in under her blanket.

Raditz snoozed while he shuffled from side to side to get a comfortable sleeping position, but even in his blank dreams and mind, he continued to ask questions why was he here and why his family seemed to conceal something from him. He wanted to find out.

Everyone all slumbered except for Bardock who was outside of Kame House instead. He stood and watched the hushed waves of the seas quietly splashed and played. Though he was a solemn and powerful warrior, like all Saiyans should be he was very worried about his own son, Raditz. He could not stop thinking when will his memories get back and if they did…

Would Raditz change? Will he remain good at heart like Goku?

Like the way he changed?

Bardock thought of so many things. The Saiyan remained silent as the serenity of the dark shadows and dimmed lights lingered.


	9. Meeting Friends

Episode 9

Meeting Friends

The next morning was a bright and peaceful day. The birds sang and chirped their hearts out. Other creatures of the forests had awakened to feel the shining star of the daybreak. It was about 8:30 A.M. in the morning. The sun had its warmth on everyone's skins whoever went outside to take a refreshing, moment's stroll. Goku's home was within in the forests in Mount Paozu. His home was always a quiet home whenever it was morning. Their house was in the middle of lively trees and near small pools and rivers. Goku's family and Goku himself lived in a fresh, beautiful environment.

Inside Goku's home, Goku and his family had just finished eating breakfast.

"All right, Chi-Chi," Goku said as he stretched out his arms and went downstairs. "I'm gonna go meet up with Raditz and Bardock now. I'm gonna give them a tour."

Chi-Chi was in the kitchen, cleaning cups and dishes while their son, Gohan, was in his room, studying. Chi-Chi's father, Ox-King, had gone out to go shopping for foods for them.

"Okay, Goku," Chi-Chi said, "but you better make sure you come back as soon as you can. We have a lot of household chores to do."

Goku opened the entrance door and replied with an eager nod. "Sure, I will. Bye!"

"Bye, Goku! Be safe!" Chi-Chi said. She watched as her husband left through her dining room window. Goku soared with Nimbus into the skies to meet up with his long-lost brother and father. Chi-Chi definitely, certainly hoped that her husband will be just okay.

It was not too long that Nimbus's quick speed took Goku to Kame House where Bardock and Raditz temporarily stayed. To his relief, the house looked fine. This meant Raditz's memories had not come back yet. He hopped off from Nimbus's puffy, yellow cushion once he arrived.

"Thanks, Nimbus," Goku said. "I'll call you in a while. See ya!"

Nimbus departed while it left Goku to have his brother and father have an expedition with him with Planet Earth. Goku knocked on the door and when the door opened, out came Turtle, Master Roshi's good friend and pet.

"Oh hi, Goku, it's great to see you," Turtle greeted.

"Hey, Turtle," Goku greeted back. "I'm sure Bardock and Raditz are prepared to go."

"Oh, they are," replied Turtle. "They just finished eating breakfast."

"Kakarot?"

Without Turtle having to call them, Raditz and Bardock happened to pass by. They saw Goku and were glad to see him.

"Hey, Raditz! Bardock!" Goku waved happily. "Are you ready to meet some of my friends? I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

"Yeah, we're ready," Bardock said.

Raditz gave a simple nod and smile.

"Let's go then," Goku was very eager to leave, but then realized he had no idea where his friends were since he had not really heard any news from them for years. For that reason, he went inside Kame House and asked if Bulma, Master Roshi, and Krillin happened to know where his friends currently were.

"I know that Yamcha and Puar are currently in a baseball game tournament," replied Master Roshi.

"I believe Tien and Chiaotzu are training in the mountains," Krillin said as he tapped his forehead. "I think Launch is also with them too."

"I see," Goku said. He thanked them for helping him.

Bulma took out a map and showed where her boyfriend, Yamcha, was supposed to be in the baseball game tournament with his friend, Puar. Goku looked closely at the map and realized the tournament was actually held near West City. It was perfect since Goku and his family comes there almost daily to shop for things.

"This is great! Thanks, guys," Goku showed his gratefulness to them again. "We'll be back in two hours."

He looked at Raditz and Bardock and with a simple nod the three fighters took flight and soared up high in the skies as they went for their desired destinations to introduce Goku's long-lost family to some of his best friends. Krillin, Bulma, Roshi, and the Turtle watched them left with the thoughts of Raditz and his temporary amnesia continuing to circle their heads.

"I'm still kinda worried," Bulma said.

Krillin agreed. "I am too, but I wonder why Goku decides to introduce his brother and father to his friends?"

Master Roshi placed his hands behind his back. "Maybe…he's trying to get Raditz maintain his goodness of heart even though he's in a temporary amnesia. Maybe that's the reason why."

Bulma and Krillin turned to the wise man. It made sense. If Raditz was constantly struck with a lot of kindness and hospitality, he will eventually maintain a good heart even if his amnesia will cure. They hoped though it will work.

As Raditz, Bardock, and Goku soared freely in the blue skies without a single cloud traced, their tour of meeting Goku's friends and other places began. Raditz and Bardock slowly looked at Goku who strangely had a face of happiness. To them, Saiyans, as Raditz had described, did not smile a whole lot and were raised to be tough, almost emotionless fighters. Apparently, Goku was different.

"Hmm?" in no later time, Goku realized they had already arrived to West City. Taking the option to flight was ten times faster than walking by foot or driving by car.

"Over there! You see that? This is where Yamcha and Puar are," Goku believed.

The three surfaced and landed at West City. As they entered the entrance gates of the city, it was definitely a busy day. Bardock and Raditz looked in amazement to see many people of different sizes walking on the streets. Cars on four wheels and even cars hovering two inches in air passed by slowly to allow pedestrians to walk. From right to left, Bardock and Raditz saw various shopping centers of clothes, foods, items, and more. The main super mall was just in front of them. Inside the super mall were many supermarket centers, clothing stores of many fashion, hair parlors and beauty products, and much, much more. To Bardock and Raditz, it was bizarre and also amazing at the same time. In their home planet, they were not used to huge crowds since every each Saiyan warrior constantly went in and out to different planets for missions. They only met in huge numbers whenever there was a huge celebration or an important meeting. There were not too many shopping malls and stores as well. They usually bandied their products and technology with other planets. With this process, they usually receive back food supplies and armors. As Bardock and Raditz examined further, a lot of people had relaxed and happy faces. The inhabitants here seemed to be having a great and luxurious time. In their home planet, they usually would see exhausted or in-a-hurry faces, sometimes serious expressions as Saiyan warriors constantly fought in the front lines and went to missions that seemed never-ending. They never seemed to have fun or at least enjoy relaxing time. Well, sometimes though.

It was a whole new site for Bardock and Raditz. They could not help, but stare in awe.

"Uh, guys," Goku waved his hand to get their attention.

"Huh?" Bardock and Raditz finally snapped back to reality.

"Our first stop is the baseball game," said Goku as he placed his hands on his hips. "This is where Yamcha and his friend, Puar, are according to what Bulma told me."

Since it will be very strange for them to take flight considering people here on Earth did not have the capability to fly, they needed to walk. The baseball game tournament was located just a mile away from the main super mall of West City. At least they would be able to exercise their feet. As Goku escorted his long-lost brother and long-lost father with a smile on Goku's face that always showed, Bardock and Raditz viewed at the people passing by. They saw mothers pushing strollers with their babies strapped in safely. They saw parents holding their children's hands. There were friends hanging out with each other, girlfriends and boyfriends as well; people in business suits as they went to work. They were some chilling out on benches as they socialized and ate quick, delicious snacks. There were so many things going at once. Bardock and Raditz were not used to it at all.

After less than half an hour passed, Goku, Raditz, and Bardock finally arrived to the baseball tournament. What they saw was a colossal stadium where most baseball game tournaments were held; not only sports, but also concerts and other special events of entertainment and performances. The stadium was partly surrounded by a structure, which let thousands of crowds view the special event.

"Well, here we are," smiled Goku.

Bardock and Raditz just realized this planet they were living in had a lot of fun and luxurious things to do for all ages. In their home planet, there was no time for that. It was all about fighting and going through missions.

Goku approached the entrance door. Before he could enter, he realized there was a huge billboard, which announced that there was going to be a baseball practice for a huge tournament tonight at 7:00 P.M. sharp. The practice was going to last for five hours straight and the only ones allowed at this time were the baseball teams going to participate in the tournament.

"Oh shoot," Goku was kind of disappointed. "We can't really go in. Only baseball players are allowed at this time. Guess we couldn't really see Yamcha and Puar today."

"That's a shame," Bardock said, crossing his arms. In reality, he was actually interested in learning more about Goku's daily life here on Earth after he had seen many people around doing their own things and the events that were provided that never existed in their home planet.

"We can meet them some other time," Raditz said.

Goku nodded. "I guess you're right. Oh well, at least we can meet up with Tien and Chiaotzu. All they do is train in the mountains anyway," he laughed in the end.

"Goku?"

A strange voice to Raditz and Bardock's ears were heard, but a familiar one to Goku. The three turned around. When they did, a wide beam spread across Goku's face.

"Hey! Yamcha! Puar!" he cried out with excitement. It looked like Yamcha and his friend had only arrived.

"Goku, hi!" waved Puar happily.

"Woah, Goku, it's really you!" said Yamcha approaching his friend. He had not seen him these past years.

Yamcha wore a simple all-yellow uniform with a plain, white shirt inside. He had a yellow cap worn on his head with his team's name "Fierce Dragons" and a mini-mascot that revealed a chibi-like dragon. His friend, Puar, was a simple cat that always floated in mid-air.

Yamcha observed him from head to toe and thought Goku had not really changed so much the past few years. "Gosh, it's nice to see you again, Goku, but you still look the same!"

"Yep," Goku touched his face.

"But how's your love life goin'?" Yamcha kind of teased him a bit.

"It's going great! Chi-Chi is such a kind and loving wife," Goku found himself blushing a little, "but she's been overprotective with our son, Gohan, lately."

"Your son?" Yamcha had met Goku's son once, but that was when their first born was delivered from his mother's womb. After Chi-Chi gave birth to Gohan, Yamcha and the rest of Goku's friends were invited to the hospital where Gohan was born to see their first baby.

"Oh yeah, I remember him. I bet he's quite grown up now, huh?" Yamcha asked.

Goku agreed. "Yeah and getting stronger too."

Yamcha was Goku's, even now, life-long friend. Yamcha was a former bandit and once lived in a desert with his cat friend, Puar. He was once a robber who stole traveler's belongings whoever passed his territory. When Goku was about a young boy and on the search for the seven DragonBalls with Bulma and Oolong, they happened to pass by his desert. Yamcha attempted to steal their money and capsules, but had to retreat when he was briefly defeated by Goku and when he saw the beautiful Bulma, developing a huge love interest towards her. Yamcha had a phobia towards women because he simply did not know how to be around them. In the end though, Yamcha ended up being friends with Goku and also a boyfriend to Bulma with his fear of girls had finally wiped out. Yamcha then became a martial arts student of the Turtle School to further extend his skills and greatly improve his potential. For now though, he was currently a baseball player since he wanted to take a break from fighting.

"How's Bulma at any rate?" Yamcha asked, his voice sounded suddenly hesitant.

"She's fine," Goku gave a look. "I overheard her saying she didn't want to be with you for a little while. Why's that?"

"Well-I-uh!" Yamcha stuttered. The past few weeks, he was caught seeing with another female by Bulma. They did not really broke up; only they wanted time for themselves just a while until the tensions between them calm down and then they can discuss about the situation.

"Nah, don't mind that. It's just between me and Bulma. You don't have to know," Yamcha said whose cheeks were a bit red.

It was then Yamcha had just noticed of Bardock and Raditz. When he saw the two unfamiliar faces, it struck him so.

"Woah! Who are they?" Yamcha asked very surprised. His focus was very much on Bardock. "That guy, is he your twin brother?"

Goku just laughed at what he said. He told Yamcha the one who looked identical to him was his father, Bardock, and the other one was Raditz, his older brother. Yamcha could not believe this at all, but Bardock heard a strange sounding in Goku's voice. A tone that felt hesitant and doubtful. Bardock was reminded again that Goku still did not believe he and Raditz were his family. He wondered though when will he believe despite of the many years apart they had been away.

"And you never told me you have an older brother and father!" Yamcha looked at his friend. He knew everything about Goku, yet never knew about this. Obviously, because Goku told he only met them yesterday.

Yamcha then felt kind of sorry that Goku was not able to be with his family when he was a baby, a child, then a full-grown adult, but it will be a great opportunity to know each other more since they were now reunited.

"Yeah, I guess so," Goku scratched his head that followed with a chuckle. Bardock looked at him and sensed deep down his heart, his words were not sincere.

"Then again, it's cool!" Yamcha commented. He then approached Bardock and Raditz with an eager smile on his face. He extended his hand. "My name's Yamcha. Nice to meet you both!"

Raditz went first and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too."

Bardock then shook his hand as well. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Wait up!" Puar approached the two Saiyans as well and said, "My name is Puar. I am a good friend of Yamcha."

Goku's family was at first flabbergasted by this strange, yet interesting creature. It was an animal that can talk and can fly despite of being a feline creature! They had seen nothing like this elsewhere.

"…oh! Nice to meet you too," both of them finally said and shook Puar's very puffy, small arm. They did not realize they were staring too much.

Puar shook their huge hands and then giggled happily. He went beside Yamcha again. The former bandit looked at his wrist watch and realized it was almost time for baseball practice.

"Oh no, we're gonna be late!" he almost cried out. He looked at Bardock and Raditz one more time and this time, bowed respectfully in welcoming the long lost father and brother of Goku home. "Nice to meet you two again. Sorry, Goku, I hafta go, but I'll meet with ya'll soon after the tournament tonight. See ya!"

"Goodbye! It's a pleasure meeting you, sir Bardock and sir Raditz!" Puar waved happily.

"Come on, Puar. Let's go," insisted Yamcha. Together, they entered the stadium and went about their baseball practice.

Bardock and Raditz could not further comment. The culture in this planet was definitely different from their home planet. The inhabitants shake hands and bow to visitors and foreigners with great generosity and always that welcoming smile. It was different, yet it felt…good.

"All right, so there's Yamcha and Puar," Goku watched his friends left. "Now I want you to meet Tien and Chiaotzu. I know where they are."

Goku escorted the Saiyans back to the entrance door of West City. His demeanor though appeared so calm all the way Raditz and Bardock had to wonder what was on Goku's mind. Once a single person was nowhere at sight to witness Goku's supernatural powers, Goku suddenly closed his eyes and felt the subtle vibrations and energy in the atmosphere.

"Um, Kakarot, what are you doing?" Raditz asked.

"I'm trying to feel out the life forces of Tien and Chiaotzu," replied Goku with his eyes still closed. "By sensing where they are, we can easily locate them."

Bardock had developed the ability to sense one's energy, but he needed to work on it more since he could only sense someone's energy only a mile away. Raditz had never thought such a technique existed; to use one's mind to locate someone. He would have to use his scouter to locate one's position.

What was even more surprising was how Kakarot knew the one he was sensing was the correct individual, Raditz thought.

"It's just your instincts. And also, I've became very familiar with their energy so it's no problem," Goku answered his question.

Once more, Raditz was too surprised. Now, he was gradually getting more interested about this planet he was unknowingly living in: Planet Earth.

"There," Goku opened his eyes. He finally found their energies. They were strong and full of vigor. No doubt they must be training really hard. Goku took wing and urged Bardock and Raditz to follow him. "It's this direction. Come on!"

The three soared once more in the unblemished skies and dashed at full speed. Their swift speed took them to the mountains in less than twenty minutes. As Goku kept a lookout for Tien and Chiaotzu, right below him was a tent set up and a table filled with delicious foods.

"That must be them," Goku smiled. "All right guys, prepare for landing!"

Goku, Raditz, and Bardock touched the ground softly with their two feet. Once they made a very soft, hushed landing, out came a tall man named Tien dressed in green martial arts pants and a short child called Chiaotzu wearing a similar Qing uniform.

"Thanks, Launch, for the food. It's delicious," Tien said.

"Yeah, it was delicious!" Chiaotzu said as well.

"Oh, don't mention it," and another girl appeared. She had purple hair, wearing a pink floral dress appeared who appeared to be Launch.

As the three stepped outside their tents, the corner of their eyes saw a familiar figure. When they turned, their eyes almost came to a disbelief they saw Goku.

"Goku?" the three of them nearly shouted.

"Yo!" Goku gave his usual salute to them where he raised his left hand like a patriotic soldier.

"Goku!" the three approached their friend whom they had not seen in years. They were so happy to see him.

Goku also saw a smile on Tien's face that seemed rare because most of the time, his smiles were "serious" ones and never really a beam that spelled gladness so seeing him smile "for the first time" was great.

Tien and Chiaotzu were, even now, Goku's best friends. Just back several years ago, Tien and Chiaotzu were evil warriors at first. They were star students in a martial arts school called Crane School. They trained under their master whom they served with loyalty before, Master Shen. In fact, the Crane School and the Turtle School were once rivals before. Tien and Chiaotzu made their first appearance during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament. Chiaotzu had a match with Krillin who the monk fighter was young back then. In this match, Chiaotzu was close in becoming victorious as he uses his telekinesis powers to beat Krillin, but was, however, defeated due to his trouble with counting as Krillin spilled math problems at him to keep him distracted. Chiaotzu needed to use his fingers to solve the math problems thus, cannot use his physic powers. Tien and Goku, who was also young back then, made it all the way to the final round and fought a rigorous battle. It was when the Crane School's evil master, and also assassin, Master Shen, ordered Tien and Chiaotzu to kill Goku. However, they humbly refused as they began to have a slow change of hearts (Master Roshi suspected this when he first Tien and Chiaotzu). Master Shen was infuriated, but Master Roshi put an end to him by firing a Kamehameha wave to let Tien and Goku concentrate on their match; to have a fair, decent math. Goku lost, however, due he fell out of bounds first before Tien. In the end, Tien and Chiaotzu became good fighters and eventually joined Goku and his friends and family. Today, Tien and Chiaotzu continued to train to their limits in many places perfect for training sites.

"Goku, it's been such a long time," Tien said.

"It's nice seeing you again," Chiaotzu said.

"I know. I'm more than happy to meet you again," Goku said. He then looked at Launch and nodded. "Hello, Launch. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Goku," Launch nodded, swaying her purple hair. "I hope you're doing well too."

"I am. Thanks," Goku smiled.

Launch was the nicest and very well-mannered lady around, but could be the strangest girl you could had ever seen and met. She had a counterpart, a much more vulgar and vicious one. Whenever she sneezed, her hair would turn blonde and her eyes would turn green and will have the personality of a very bad woman, carrying big guns and threatening everyone who dared to stand in her way. She was first met hijacking a train and then being chased by the police. During the chase, she accidentally sneezed and turned back to her very kind and almost naive personality. Krillin and Goku saved Launch from the police, thinking they were impersonators. She then was invited to Kame House to do a bit of martial arts with Master Roshi, but never did anyway. At that day, she became part of the Z-fighter group.

At this time, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Launch saw Bardock and Raditz. Their faces were the same expressions when Yamcha and Puar first saw the two guests. Goku once more introduced Bardock first, telling them he was his father. He then introduced Raditz, telling he was his older brother. He also added that he only met them a few days ago and so he was "glad" to be reunited with them. Once again, Bardock heard the uncertainty in his voice and felt disappointed his son was not convinced at all.

"This is amazing," Tien said.

"Who could've ever guessed?" Chiaotzu asked.

Then the three introduced their names to Bardock and Raditz. Once they did, they found Goku's family to be interesting. Bardock looked so similar to Goku while Raditz almost had no resemblance between his younger brother and his father. Only the eyes that looked analogous. Tien, Chiaotzu, and Launch guessed Raditz must have inherited most of his traits from his mother.

"It's so great to have you with us!" Launch chirped. She clapped her hands together with a sweet smile. "Are you all hungry? I've prepared extra food in the kitchen."

"Oh!" Bardock felt his stomach was still full from breakfast. "Th-thank you, but we're fine."

"Yes, we just ate," Raditz slightly smiled.

"Okay, that's fine," Launch continued to giggle.

Just then, an eagle was seen soaring in the skies, creating cries that echoed in the mountains. It was a pretty sight. Then, one of its feathers plucked out from its body and then slowly made its way to Launch's nose.

"Huh?" once the feather gently touched her nose, Launch felt she wanted to sneeze. She tried to hold it, but could not. "Ah-ah…!"

"Oh no," Goku's face almost looked horrified.

"What's wrong?" his older brother asked with concern.

"Ah-Achoo!" Launch sneezed real hard and when she did, her appearance suddenly changed as if another person took over her body. Her hair turned blonde, her eyes turned green, and showed a very mean look.

"Eh?" in addition to this sudden transformation, Launch's voice changed as well, sounding a bit more of a tomboy tone. "Err, what the heck?"

Launch looked at Tien and Chiaotzu. When she saw Tien, her heart felt warm. Several years ago, Launch's counterpart took an interest in Tien when he was evil before. Even now, she still had an interest towards him.

"Hey, Tien, bet you really like the food, huh?" she said as she lightly punched his arm.

Tien gave a baffled look. This was a different Launch and so they must be careful. A little sweat came from his forehead. "Um, it's good?" he said, but knew he had already answered that question.

"That's great!" Launch again slapped his arm, but as she turned and looked at Raditz and Bardock, she became instantly suspicious of them. She made a very mean, stern face and yelled at them as if she had only met them today. "Hey, you two! Who the heck are you both?"

"Eh?" Bardock and Raditz were taken back. They did not know how to respond to this.

Raditz slowly approached his younger brother and whispered to him. "Tell me, does she have a memory loss or something?"

"And why she suddenly looks different after she sneezed?" Bardock added.

Before Goku could respond, Launch literally had brought out the big guns and aimed her high-tech pistols at them.

"Get outta here!" she yelled and suddenly fired multiples of bullets at Bardock and Raditz without warning. They did not expect this, but instead tripped on the ground, luckily missing the bullets though.

"Aah!" Bardock and Raditz yelped.

"Launch, wait!" Tien tried to stop her with lots of sweat drops coming from his forehead.

"Don't worry, Tien!" Chiaotzu quickly picked up the eagle feather that lied on the ground and then used it to tickle Launch's nose again before she could throw her barrages of bullets at the clueless guests.

"Huh?" Launch felt sneezing again and once she did, "Achoo!" she went back to her kind, innocent personality with a sweet face and kind demeanor.

Launch looked up and realized she was holding guns. That was when she realized what just happened. She gave a guilt-like look and asked for an apology through her face of innocence. "Oops, whoopsie! Heh, heh!"

Bardock almost twitched. "Tell me what just happened?"

Goku just laughed and decided to tell everything about Launch at this time; the perfect definition for the strangest girl ever met by a person.

After thirty minutes of chilling out and getting to know each other more, it was time to meet up with other friends.

"Bye, Goku! Sir Bardock and Raditz!" Chiaotzu waved at the leaving fighters.

"Let's meet each other again whenever possible," Launch smiled, waving delicately.

Tien nodded. "Goodbye, you guys."

"See ya!" Goku waved back. He then nodded at Bardock and Raditz and left without leaving a trace behind.

"It's amazing that's Goku's family," Chiaotzu watched them took wing.

"Same here," Tien said. He slowly put his head down and also thought if Goku's family was as strong as Goku himself. Tien had always trained to the fullest in order to equal up with Goku and have another fair, decent match with him. However, now with his long-lost father and long-lost brother included in the mix, things might change.

"So are you going to continue training?" Launch asked.

"Huh? Of course," Tien answered. "Come on, Chiaotzu. Let's go."

"Right," his forever pal went with him.

Tien looked at Launch again and thanked her for the delicious meal. "We'll back after an hour or two."

"Okay, and I'll be here guarding the tent," Launch giggled.

From there, Tien and Chiaotzu left with Tien cannot resist looking at the beautiful Launch while she glanced at him back with always that sweet smile on her face.

As Raditz, Goku, and Bardock headed for their next destination, a thought came to Raditz's mind.

"…that was…" he began, which made Goku and Bardock stare at him.

"…the strangest girl I've ever met," Raditz finished. "I hope though she wouldn't sneeze or else Tien and Chiaotzu will be in trouble."

"You could say that again," Goku agreed, "but I'm sure they packed up a lot of feathers just in case Launch changes again."

He faced the two and stated their next destination. "Next stop we'll be kinda long from here, but we'll be arriving at a tower."

"Tower?" his father and brother asked, wondering what this tower was.

"You'll see," Goku then took faster velocity, having for Bardock and Raditz to keep up with his unbelievable speed.

As the three fighters passed by many mountains, forests, rivers, and more abundance of green and waters, and while the silence stayed in their lips except for the sounds of winds whistling in the air, Raditz noticed something his brother and father did not. Without notifying, Raditz stopped at a complete halt and stared at that particular angle. His pupils, he did not realize, were shaking and his hands were suddenly trembling. His mind was quickly taken out from this world and was in deep deliberation.

"Huh?" Bardock had believed they left someone. He stopped his flight in which Goku also stopped in reaction.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Goku asked.

Quite in a far distance, they both saw Raditz suddenly descending from mid-air and landing on the ground. Goku and Bardock followed him in a questionable manner, wondering what he was doing. Once they landed, Raditz suddenly walked towards to that particular site that fully caught his attention. It felt like there was an enticing magic that controlled him.

"Raditz, hey, what's the matter?" Bardock asked him a question, but his eldest did not reply. He continued to walk and walk.

The sounds of his footsteps trembled almost and lent out sounds of uncertainty, but also curiosity. As he went closer and closer, it reminded him something from the beginning that struck his innocent mind.

"…what is…that crater?" he whispered to himself. As he went closer to the hollow ground that seemed to be artificially mad, an immobile, small orb laid there. Raditz gave a more questioning look, yet abruptly, his mind then tried to tell him something. Raditz looked around some more and noticed that a certain spot on the grasses looked burnt with black ashes. He looked back at the crater again to look at the small orb, which lay dormant.

"A…spacecraft?" Raditz questioned. He examined it closely. He knew this spacecraft from somewhere, its shape and details he strangely found recognizable, but he could not remember where. To add more to his questions, who used this spaceship?

His mind was telling him of something. He can remember something from the past, but not fully. He wondered if his brain was trying to deceive him or if it was giving him a significant message.

"Huh?" Bardock silently gasped and had just recognized this place they were standing on. It was the same place where the Saibaman self-destructed himself to Raditz and gave him his amnesia!

Bardock believed his eldest was seeing something from the past which needed to be prevented from seeing. He knew he must not let his memories get back. It was too early to let that happen. With that being in mind, he ran to his eldest son and tried to stop him from seeing this scene.

"Raditz, wait! Hold on!" he shouted, praying he would divert his attention.

His eldest though continued to gaze, his eyes were so still as if time had stopped. His mind, his instincts, and even his nature that were left confused of who he was in the first place were constantly telling him of something, but he could not figure it out. Instead, a distinct flashback in his head played suddenly like he was forced to watch a documentary.

The scene played in his head sizzled and fizzled like a broken recorder, but the main highlights were kept intact.

In the hazy movie hurting his mind, an unknown creature with a sinister nature came with a device on his left eye. With the eyes looking from left to right, up and down, it said in an infuriated voice.

_"The inhabitants are still here. That fool, he has failed us!"_

Once that flashback ended with more confusion left for Raditz to see and feel, keeping him in constant questions why he was here in the first place, who he was when he was only a single entity, and the mission forgotten, Raditz painfully felt a push on his back that almost tripped him.

"Ow!" he kept his footing, however, but when he turned around, it was his father who did it.

Raditz looked into his eyes and suddenly saw fires that almost froze him to his feet.

"Raditz!" his father shouted. "I kept on calling you, yet you wouldn't listen!" Bardock strictly lectured him.

The confused Saiyan saw a look on his father's face that did not contain anger because he was not listening to him, but worry and frustration were written all over his eyes instead. He gently asked a question regarding to what he had seen visually.

"Father…I saw something," Raditz began with his mouth slightly opened, "but I couldn't-"

"Just forget about that!" Bardock interrupted him. "You saw nothing!"

Now anger starting to boil inside his chest, Bardock dragged Raditz away from the spacecraft and artificial-made crater; the same exact place where his eldest son almost met his own demise.

He floated in mid-air to head for their next destination. He turned to Goku and told him, "Kakarot, go ahead. Let's meet your other friends."

Goku briefly saw his temper he showed and when he witnessed he rather felt worried. "…okay, sure," he finally replied after a long pause. He knew that Bardock will not let Raditz's evil nature come back, even for eternity albeit his amnesia will cure eventually.

The two identical fighters ascended into the skies. Raditz was the last one to leave, wondering why his father suddenly vented his anger on him where he only tried to explain himself. Was this a sign he was truly hiding something from him?

"Come on, Raditz," Bardock said; this time, with a gentler and calmer voice, not wanting his first born to see any more things or places that will bring back the malevolence in him he once was. "Let's go, please."

When Raditz heard the word "please," his heart almost sank; his heart felt sorry. Nonetheless, why did the inner part of his chest felt wretched, tightened in such remorse when he did nothing wrong? As he felt the impulsive sadness in his heart, he glanced at his younger brother to see the reaction on his face and indeed, it was the same as their father's.

As the three ascended slowly in the skies with the sun shining its radiance on them, Raditz took one final glance at the crater and the spaceship. The moment he looked, he knew there was something going on that always left him in deep ignorance and suspense. Now his heart started to feel rage. He needed…no, he wanted answers for his burning questions and he will receive them whenever he can.


	10. Visions

Episode 10

Visions

_Whoosh!_

It had been almost ten minutes when Goku continued to lead Bardock and Raditz high up in the skies. Bardock and Raditz began to wonder how much time left will it take them just to reach the tower Goku talked about earlier ago.

"Almost there!" Goku had to yell since the winds were completely loud.

After a little more patience, Goku finally saw a spherical dome ahead of him. "Amazing, we're here!"

Once Goku reached the interior of the tower, he entered inside. Inside, in the middle of the dome-shaped haven, was a fat pillar with carved designs and patterns. Also, a miniature white cat with a crutch named Korin was there with his assistant, Yajirobe, dressed in orange uniform and wielded a special, kitana sword.

"Hi, Korin! Hi, Yajirobe!" Goku waved.

His voice had Korin and Yajirobe turned around in reaction. They were glad to see Goku once again for they had not seen him for a few years after Goku left the tournament and started a new life with his wife, Chi-Chi.

"Goku, my old friend, it's good to see you," Korin approached the very famous fighter known to man-kind.

"Still pickin' up fights nowadays? Aren't ya gettin' sick of training sometimes?" Yajirobe rubbed his nose.

Goku shook his head. "Why should I stop training? I need to prepare for any kind of battle always."

When Bardock heard that, a little relief was felt in his heart. At least his son here did not forget about what Saiyans had lived up for a lifetime and that was to fight constantly for many reasons.

"So Korin, have you grown those Senzu Beans yet?" Goku inquired.

"I'm in the process now," Korin replied. "It will take time though since Senzu Beans don't grow in their usual fast pace in this time of season."

"I see. That's all right," Goku nodded. "I'll wait."

As Korin and Yajirobe turned their heads to see the two unfamiliar creatures standing behind Goku, they asked who were those people and why they looked quite related to Goku.

"I'm glad you asked. This is Bardock, my father. This is my older brother, Raditz," Goku introduced them to his friends.

"Nice to meet you," Bardock and Raditz nodded.

"What the!" both Korin and Yajirobe nearly yelled.

"Goku, you never told me you have an older brother and a father," Yajirobe said to him. "I've only seen you livin' by yourself in this world."

Goku scratched his head, which followed with a nervous chuckle. "Actually, I only met them five days ago."

"Oh, well, guess you should just enjoy your reunion then," Yajirobe shrugged his shoulders.

"I see," Korin approached the new visitors. His cat eyes observed them from head to toe in a calm manner. "I thought so. You two look like Goku. Well, I'm glad we met."

Korin shook their hands and Yajirobe did the same also. Korin was a cat who was now over 800 years of age. The tower he stood on was officially his, calling it the "Korin Tower." Goku first met Korin when he needed the Sacred Water to defeat the Red Ribbon's high-ranking mercenary, General Tao. The Sacred Water, when drank, will increase one's power and speed tremendously, but it was a huge risk to take since the Sacred Water can burn one internally. However, overcoming the powerful, lethal effects of the Sacred Water will bring positive, better results for a fighter's strength and momentum. Korin's assistant, Yajirobe, was a skilled swordsman, despite of his overweight. He loved to eat and tended to keep away from any kinds of skirmishes as possible, saying he rather be safe. He first met Goku after discovering he ate a fish Yajirobe had been saving for dinner. Their quarrel was cut short when an enemy called Cymbal attempted to fight them both. Yajirobe was the one who beat Cymbal on his own with a single slash from his sword. He then helped Goku get to Korin Tower after being promised food waited for him. Yajirobe was also a student of Korin thus, knowing martial arts.

"Sorry, Korin, Yajirobe, but time is tight," Goku apologized. "We also need to head to Kami's Tower. I'll definitely set up a reunion party so you two can know more about Raditz and Bardock. Right, guys?" he asked them, turning his head.

"Yeah, of course," Bardock agreed.

"It'll be great," Raditz nodded.

While Goku briefly socialized with Korin and Yajirobe, Korin had his eyes set on Raditz. The brother of Goku looked quite gloomy. He can sense, his head was loaded with so many things, his mind was off from this world. Korin held his crutch tighter. Not only that, a disturbed energy shook within Raditz.

"See ya again! Bye!" Goku waved and then escorted his family to Kami's Tower, which was many more distances higher up from Korin Tower.

When they left, Yajirobe commented.

"For a second, I thought that guy Bardock was Goku's twin brother. That Raditz didn't really look like Goku at all," Yajirobe folded his arms.

"They're Goku's family all right, but the one called Raditz," Korin put his head downer, "I sense a strong and dark vibe growing in his heart."

"What'dya mean?" Yajirobe looked at the wise, white deity.

Korin did not respond. However, he sensed that kind of energy before just a few days ago. Was it the same one? Did it really come from Goku's brother, Raditz? If he was him, whatever happened that led to his sudden, kind nature? Maybe he was wrong for that kind nature in Raditz will only remain there temporarily.

"Don't get me wrong, but Goku needs to be more careful around Raditz," Korin sensed.

"Aah, you think too much. Now where's the food? I'm starvin'!" complained Yajirobe.

"You think this is the perfect time to be thinking about that now?" Korin yelled at him. Sometimes, his attendant did not think of anything else except for food.

Higher up from Korin's Tower was Kami's Lookout. As Goku soared higher up in the skies, it left for Bardock and Raditz to wonder if, humorously, Goku was taking them to outer space instead. As they continued to accelerate, they noticed a very long, extended pole colored red that was connected from Korin's Tower.

"Hmm, what's that thing?" Bardock asked. "Is that used to connect Korin's Tower to the next tower we're going to?"

"Yeah, you can say that," Goku said, "but that red pole is actually one of my most prized possessions. It's called Power Pole. I used it as my weapon when I was a kid. It greatly helped me fight in battles, but now it's stuck there 'cause before, I didn't know how to fly so I needed to use my pole to climb up to Kami's Lookout."

"Aah," Bardock understood. When he mentioned Power Pole, he believed he had seen it before in one of his visions.

So far, the two new Saiyans in Planet Earth were impressed with Goku's friends. Each had their own lives and different personalities, but they all shared one common trait and that was they were as nice and joyful like Goku's personality. Raditz felt rather uneasy being greeted in such a way where one was eager to meet a new person. If he could remember right, were Saiyans supposed to be colder?

Raditz shook his head, taking that thought off. He was thinking too much or maybe he was right after all; especially it appeared that his little brother and father appeared to be hiding something from him he absolutely wanted to know.

"Here we are," Goku yelled. What they saw ahead of them was an ancient platform with four pillars at every corner of the oval-shaped lookout. They were some planted trees, pine and palm, and some bushes. In the middle of the Lookout was a chamber with the inside being filled with secrets and mysteries.

The three warriors entered. They observed their surroundings with Bardock and Raditz being amazed by this new sight.

"Here we are," Goku said. "Pretty awesome, huh? Now where's Kami and Mister Popo? They should be here."

As Goku went ahead to search for them, his father and brother looked around some more. There was nothing like this in their home planet; a tower and a lookout located way high up in the skies, almost touching the outer space.

"Goku?" suddenly, two shadows came out from the middle chamber and there were Kami, a greened, aged creature with two antennas sticking out from his forehead. He wore a white robe with a flowing, blue cape with a symbol imprinted on his clothing. Kami looked very similar to Piccolo. Beside him was named Mr. Popo, a black colored genie, wearing a turbine, a white vest, and flowing, white pants.

Despite of their weird-looking and very old appearance, they possessed supernatural powers. Kami was currently the Guardian of Earth, staying at his Lookout to see the all the things and events that were happening down on Earth. He also created the famous DragonBalls, powerful orbs that can grant any wish. Kami had an evil counterpart named King Piccolo in which he ravaged and scattered doom to all the people on Planet Earth until Goku came into the picture, when he was only a young teenager, and ended King Piccolo's wrath. Kami also had a very mysterious past and childhood only he and his assistant knew of. Speaking of assistant, Kami's attendant, Mr. Popo, was an immortal genie and also the gardener and caretaker of Kami for his flowers and Lookout. He was a great martial artist and trained the young Goku when he was thirteen to help him fully unleash his potential. Goku later tested these skills during the Budokai Tenkaichi Tournament the 23rd. Today, they continued to look out for any danger from the Lookout and watch the people down on Planet Earth.

"Goku, how nice of you to visit, to see you well," Mr. Popo said.

"Yes, it's been a very long time, Goku," Kami nodded.

"It's great to see you all again," Goku said.

"How is your family, Goku?" Kami asked.

"They're doing really well. My wife and my son are both doing great. Actually, I'm planning to have a reunion party some time later…"

"What reunion party?" Mr. Popo inquired.

"Well, you see…," Goku made way and showed Raditz and Bardock to them. When their presences were seen, Kami and Mr. Popo did not react in the usual surprise Goku's other friends showed. Instead their faces were in an instant alert and caution.

It took them a while though to realize they had to stop their stares and greet the visitors.

"So, this one here is Bardock, my father, and this is Raditz, my older brother," Goku introduced.

"Hello," both of the Saiyan visitors said and bowed their heads in respect. They both had to speculate what race they were since Earth was supposedly filled with human inhabitants, but in the front of their eyes, they were seeing a wrinkled, green creature and a mysterious-looking genie. Where did they come from?

"Hello," Kami nodded in response, but he held his wooden crutch tightly.

Strangeness flowed through; the silence once again took hand. Kami sensed something from these Saiyans, particularly Raditz, who, despite of his innocence, possessed an evil nature within. Kami had especially felt a dark energy that abruptly surfaced five days ago. However, it vanished at the blink of an eye at its first day and knew Earth was safe from harm for now. Today though, the sun seemed to refuse to shine its rays to the people on this abundant green and blue planet. Kami can sense, or foresee an impending predicament, in their future that will put everyone's lives in danger. Upon looking at Raditz, it could be him or something bigger.

"Um Kami, are you okay?" Goku finally asked. In reality, he had not seen Kami _this_ quiet before.

The aged creature shook his head and pretended a warm smile. "I apologize. Today must be too hot for my very weak skin. Anyway, so you're Goku's family. I haven't seen you before though."

"We've only arrived on this planet five days ago," Bardock told.

"Yeah, we just met," Goku added.

Goku was adopted after all, Kami thought. He ever wondered why Goku was not able to be with his real family when he was a child. Perhaps there was some sort of a circumstance that led them to be separated. As things looked at this moment though, the family was reunited again. However, was it a good thing especially that dark energy that Kami sensed five days ago?

"It's nice to meet you all," Kami said once more. "I can see that you are fighters like Goku, am I correct?"

Bardock and Raditz were surprised to hear that, but since the green creature here appeared old and very wise, they should not be after all. A much older person can somehow judge a youth through analysis by using his wisdom. Raditz and Bardock replied with a yes.

"I see. Did you know that Goku, from whence he was a teenage boy, trained here vigorously in preparation for the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament dating back just a year ago?" Kami asked them an important fact.

Bardock may have seen that event in his visions, but Raditz had no idea at all.

"No way! Kakarot, you participated in a World Tournament?" Raditz inquired.

"Of course! It was also the time where I needed to defeat an enemy. That's why Kami and Mr. Popo here trained me to unlock some of my potential inside. I thank them," Goku nodded.

However, the cheerful fighter wondered why Kami was suddenly revealing an event from his past to his long-lost family.

About thirty minutes passed and during those minutes, Goku and the Guardian of Earth socialized for a while for old time's sake. Mr. Popo and Bardock would comment and give their opinions to the conversation whilst Raditz kept his words to himself, staying silent. The older brother of Goku was very fascinated his younger brother lived in such a beautiful, very interesting planet. It reminded him again though of the questions he had longed to receive answers for them; why was he here on this planet in the first place? Why Goku and their own father acted so strange in front of him? What was his real purpose here? Did he come here for a mission? As the questions swiveled in his mind, Kami stared at the quiet Saiyan as he suspected an uncertainty in him.

"Since you're all here, care for a cup of tea?" Mr. Popo then asked.

Goku gazed at the skies and realized the sun had already reached its highest peak, meaning it was afternoon and time for lunch.

"Oh sorry, Mr. Popo, Kami, but Bardock, Raditz, and I need to head back to lunch," Goku said. "My wife doesn't like when the food gets cold and we're too long gone. I promise we'd head back home soon."

"I understand. There's no need for apologizing," Kami said. "Thank you for visiting us."

"Yes, we hope to meet each other again," Mr. Popo added.

"Don't worry," assured Goku. "Again, I'll be scheduling a reunion party somewhere this week or so. Then, we can continue from there."

After saying their farewells, Goku and his family left and headed back to Mount Paozu for lunch while the Guardian of Earth and his assistant watched them depart with the worried feelings that suddenly took in when their long-time friend and the new guests set foot on their Lookout.

After a long silence, Mr. Popo decided to speak.

"Kami, I think I know what you're thinking."

"Yes. I sense a strong vibe in that man's heart named Raditz," Kami said, "not only strong, but filled with malice."

"Oh Kami!" the immortal genie cried. "Don't tell me he is the same-"

"Unfortunately, he is," Kami said. "You may have missed it, my friend, but since I am the Guardian of Earth, I saw what happened five days ago. A kind of unforeseen incident erased his evil nature. Alas, it's only short-term. I must only say that Goku must be very, very careful."

The aged being put his head down while his assistant could do nothing, but stand in one place. They both needed to wait what will eventually happen in the end.

As the three departing warriors soared high once again towards the blue skies, passing by green hills and valleys, snowed mountains, and huge oceans, Goku said,

"Well, that's about it," he smiled. "Now I'm real hungry. Do you wanna eat with us or you'd rather stay in Kame House for lunch?"

"I think we should just eat at Kame House. Thanks for the offer though," Bardock said.

"Okay!" Goku smiled once again. "I'll just take you there then."

Upon those words, he turned around and smiled a wider smile. "Hey, thanks for taking this tour with me. Truly appreciate it."

Once Bardock and Raditz saw his beam that seemed to shine on his face, they felt happy inside.

Time passed by once again; two weeks had passed and Raditz's amnesia had not cured yet, but during sleepless nights and where days seemed to mysteriously have high tensions in the air, Raditz had been receiving visions lately. He still could not figure out the meaning behind his lost memories, but he knew they were a reminiscent from the past. The only doubt he had having these visions was if he had ever lived in that kind of past. Every day, upon receiving these sudden apparitions, his speculations and questions about Goku and Bardock grew more. Raditz also continued to question himself.

Two weeks passed, on a bright, afternoon day, when the time struck at 12:30 P.M. sharp, lunch began in both Kame House and at Goku's home. Everybody had a great time eating up their foods on their plates.

Bulma prepared quite a delicious buffet for her friends and for the two Saiyan guests. She served homemade meals along with authentic foods.

Krillin munched as he went. He savored the different flavors and spices Bulma added. "This is awesome, Bulma! I didn't you know you can cook this good."

"Oh thanks, Krillin," replied Bulma back.

Master Roshi tossed a sashimi on his mouth with his chopsticks. "It's very tasty and juicy. Even Turtle likes it."

Turtle happily grinded and chewed on the cooking from the blue-haired lady of intelligence.

"How's the food, sir Bardock?" Bulma asked him.

In their home planet, the Saiyans ate alien meats and special kinds of vegetables. The texture of the food ranged from soft to rigid and tastes could either be raw or tasty, depending on how a Saiyan would like his or her meal cooked. In Planet Earth, however, Bardock can assume from the more craving of delicious flavors from his taste buds, dishes were well prepared with time and care; sometimes, improvising new dishes and kinds of recipes to be presented in the food era. Various flavors and spices mixed in together to create another explosion of a whole new, tasteful tang.

Bardock must admit he greatly enjoyed Earth's meals. "Very tasting indeed. I really like it a lot. Thank you. I've never tasted such a delicious dish before," he complimented respectfully.

"Oh you men, you're too much!" Bulma was real flattered by their comments, she started to blush. She turned to Raditz and asked how the food was. "How about you, Raditz?"

Raditz sat on his wooden chair and stared at the steaming food. He had the same confused face as he had since almost every day. He continued to query why he was here in the first place.

"Raditz, don't you want to eat?" asked Bulma with concern.

Raditz remained quiet.

Bardock glared at him and called his eldest son in a firm voice. "Raditz."

Raditz snapped back to reality "…! Huh? Ye-yes?"

"Are you gonna eat or not?" Bardock asked instead, sounding a bit frustrated.

"Oh, well, I lost my appetite. Sorry about that, Miss Bulma," Raditz apologized. He then looked up with gloom shown in his eyes. "Fa-father, can I ask a question?"

Bulma, Krillin, and Master Roshi stared at him.

"What?" Bardock responded after he stabbed a steamed broccoli with his fork.

"Can I go outside for a while?" his son said.

When Bardock punctured the broccoli, he felt even more anger seething in his chest, but he decided to let it all pass. He sighed. "Go ahead."

"Thanks," Raditz then slowly headed outside and the sounds of his footsteps fainted.

"Oh Raditz, is he okay?" Bulma was very concerned.

"I'm not sure, but he's awfully sad today," observed Krillin.

Master Roshi held his hands together on the table; his sunglasses shone a light streak. "I guess he's trying to remember those lost memories he had before, questioning who he is from the very start, I highly presume. Sooner or later, he will try to conquer the Earth again-"

_SLAM!_

The three faithful friends of Goku, including the Turtle, had their attention caught when their table shook, almost knocking off the glasses of juices and water prepared. The disturbance came from Bardock who pounded on the dinner table with his two shaking arms. His face looked awfully frustrated and worried. He clenched more of his two fists and trembled all over. Shadows were cast over his eyes and if one can hear, inaudible, faint grunts can be heard from him.

Master Roshi was surprised. "Um, sir Bardock, are you all right-?"

"Judging by the look of my face, you think I'm all right?" Bardock angrily told him, now speaking his mind. He had been concealing what he had felt for the past weeks. This was the day where he could not contain them any longer. He had to express his words.

"I know his stupid amnesia will cure eventually, but that doesn't mean he has to _be_ the son he used to be, when he was cold and heartless! Raditz, he's making me worried…why do things like these happen…? …ugh!"

Bardock stood up and angrily stomped upstairs with loud footsteps, leaving an unfinished meal behind. Bulma, Krillin, Master Roshi froze. They had never seen a person this worried before. Instead of being shocked, they felt extremely sorry for the father of two sons.

"I feel sorry for him, y'know," Krillin understood his sudden outburst. "I mean, Bardock's a good guy, Goku's a good guy, except for Raditz. And Bardock can't even force his own son to change his ways. Only Raditz can change in heart."

"I understand too," Bulma said who was not at all offended for Bardock to leave the meals she prepared for him behind. She understood his feelings since many strange, crazy events were happening at the moment.

"Let's just hope Raditz _will_ uphold his goodness in him even if his amnesia cures," prayed Master Roshi.

Outside of Kame House, near the shoreline where the sands met with the blue oceans, Raditz stood near it. He gazed at the bluish skies, seeing the white seagulls flying together.

_"Hmm, Planet Earth, such a nice place, but why am I here anyway? Was I sent here by my father?" _wondered Raditz. He sustained to stare at the skies until he decided to take an afternoon's stroll in flight. From there, he took wing into skies and light winds.

Raditz sighed even more. "I know…from the look of my father's face, he's trying to hide something from me. Why though? Why my own brother seems to be afraid of me?"

The questions looked as if they were pinching his mind constantly that he started to feel as confused and angry as his father was. He did not realize he began to bite his lips with his hands curled into fists, his fingernails almost dug on his flesh.

"I don't get it! I don't get it at all! Why am I here?" Raditz began to shout to the entire world. "Why am I here? Who-who am I?"

His questions were to be answered very soon. An unexpected thing happened. Before Raditz knew it, he froze to where he was. His forehead suddenly ached. This time, he was in a sudden, deeper pain.

"What-what's happening? Wha-AUGH!"

Raditz placed his palms on his forehead. He tried to fight the pain, but it was way too strong. He shook his head and closed his eyes hard.

"Stop it!" he urged and begged.

Because of the pain, Raditz thrust out invincible shockwaves from his entire body, but the shockwaves were not noticeable enough for people to see.

"It hurts!" the Saiyan moaned and continued. "I want this to-!"

Just then, a voice came to his head; the same exact voice as his. In fact, it was his evil counterpart, speaking its malevolent manner to him.

Raditz struggled. His eyes were deep in horror. He felt cold, he felt hot, and he felt bewildered. It was as if ten thousand voices were assailing his aching mind while he stood in complete nothingness, powerless to do anything.

_"You are destined to be a planet broker."_

Raditz heard the voice inside his head; the evil side of his, as if his evil image, his other half, began to bring about his true self once again.

"Huh? Who's this? Planet broker? What?" questioned Raditz.

_"You arrived on this planet to accomplish one important mission."_

"Mi-Mission?" the Saiyan was still bewildered. "Who's talking?" the hurt Saiyan also began to sweat and breathed heavily.

_"Kakarot."_

"Kakarot? My brother?"

_"Kakarot failed to complete his mission since the day he arrived on Planet Earth."_

When the words were spoken, Raditz started to remember something from the past. "Wait, Kakarot failed his mission?"

_"A terrible accident fell upon him."_

_"Accident,"_ Raditz said, now his words almost in a tone of whisper. His face started to calm down as his mind absorbed all the words he heard.

_"An accident which converted him into a very kindhearted Saiyan."_

"Kakarot…a kind Saiyan?"

_"His memories were erased completely."_

As took in the words more, raging anger started to burn up inside his chest, inside his mind that was kept ignorant what happened since day one.

_"He is a disgrace to the Saiyan race!"_

Raditz shouted once more in deep ache, screaming his brother's name to the entire universe. At that climax, he finally remembered everything from the very beginning where he set foot on the planet to this very day. He recalled arriving to Planet Earth and was extremely disappointed to know his younger brother did not accomplish his mission: to destroy Earth. As he searched for him and questioned about his failure to succeed his mission, and upon realizing his younger brother was not the cruel Saiyan he was supposed to be, he began to reveal the truth and the secrets behind his birth and his original nature that was supposed to stay within him in the first place.

_"You were born on the Planet Vegeta, our home planet. You are destined to be a merciless, prideful fighter like me. I am your older brother, Raditz!"_

_"WHAT?" _cried a shocked Goku.

As more and more visions painted in his aching mind, Raditz also recalled the time where he angrily questioned about Goku's missing tail, the source of an incredibly, strong potential a Saiyan was known for, that disgracefully disappeared when he was a young child. After the eldest sibling lectured his younger brother for not being the heartless Saiyan all Saiyans should be, he threatened him into taking his own son Gohan into outer space instead if Goku refused to join to him, and if he wanted his son back, Raditz ordered him to kill one-hundred Earthlings and be willing to join their crew of obliteration.

_"Show us some pride, Kakarot. Remember what I said. It's either now or never!"_ Raditz then left with a crying, helpless Gohan into his arms.

Goku cried out for his only son. He was ashamed to let Gohan slip into enemy's hands, but he will get him back and kick out this new enemy out from their planet for sure.

Raditz then saw a vision about a fight; he perfectly remembered it, when he fought an easy battle against Goku with his unlikely alliance, Piccolo. He proved short work of them until Gohan, the half-Saiyan boy who undeniably possessed a lot of potential, had his emotions reached to its peak and severely damaged Raditz, reducing his power level greatly. It was then Goku and Piccolo's chance to finish him off…

…until the father of Goku and Raditz, Bardock, stepped in and balked their meaningless quarrel. However, it only made Raditz angrier when he learned his father was a changed man like Goku. His father even tried to persuade him into giving up his own evil ways or else he said that they will all come back to him. In the other hand though, Raditz refused to put an end to his evil deeds for he truly believed Saiyans were naturally born evil since they were tiny entities.

_"Shut up!" _hollered Raditz at his own family.

Goku and Bardock were completely surprised.

_"This is the pride of all Saiyans! And I will not give it up so easily!"_

To Raditz's great shame, his battle against his father proved no stress to his father at all. No more options left in his action list, he decided to call out for a Saibaman to attack Goku, Bardock, and Piccolo. Proved to be a meaningless call of desperation, Bardock instantly put an end to his games. His father continued to convince him to change into a better person, a better Saiyan, but instead, his son refused to listen still.

Then, that event happened; when his Saibaman went defective and decided to self-destruct itself towards his own master. It was then he lost all his memories and was diagnosed with amnesia. The past two weeks, Goku showed kindness to him, even introduced some of his friends to him to make him feel acquainted with the world, to show indirectly to him that a life filled with goodness was infinite times better than a life living under the work of evil.

Alas, the dark mark within Raditz's heart remained.

The visions finally ended. As they faded, its scenes growing fainter within time like sands flying as dusts in the winds, Raditz felt he was a different person. In fact, he switched back to the same Saiyan warrior when he was born.

As his hands continued to be on his head with shadows cast over his eyes, creating a dark scene, chuckles were heard under his breath. His lips curled into a grin. He laughed…maliciously.

His chuckles then became a raucous laugh filled with sinister joy. His eyes and heart turned back to its old-self. He laughed to the entire world. "Yes, I remember now! I'm a Saiyan warrior. And I came to this planet for one mission; to destroy it along with its inhabitants."

The Saiyan pride was still in his heart; a pride where it was abused too much to a point where Raditz isolated himself from the entire world and only cared about himself and his desire for more power.

"I'm Raditz. I'm born to be a planet broker. I take great pride in which the Saiyans have lived up most of their lives. Kakarot, yes, you're a disgrace to the Saiyan race! And this time, I will teach you a very valuable lesson."

All this time his memories were lost, but now he had finally regained them back. He was hungry for revenge.

"And I'll make it fair to you too, Father," Raditz said. He planned to punish his own family. "Brace yourselves! Feel my terror and wrath!" the once kind Saiyan, now became the Saiyan filled with malice, dashed faster at high speed to continue his one mission.

"Whatever you did so awfully nice to me in the past, you should have never done!" the sinister Saiyan yelled. "If you had enough prudence, you should've killed me instead! Prepare yourselves!"

Raditz continued to laugh with great pride.

At Goku's house, Goku and his family feasted on a delicious lunch.

Goku munched and munched with grease smeared on his mouth, savoring every bite and taste.

"Do you want more rice, Gohan?" Chi-Chi asked her little scholar after taking a bite of noodles.

"Yes, please," the little child smiled while eating rice and some cooked beef.

At Kame House, Bardock was in his room, sitting on his bed, continuing to stare through the glassy windowpane and watched the seagulls fly.

_"Raditz, will you ever change?" _he inquired, but soon he sensed a powerful power level from a far away distance, and that was not all. The power level he sensed was very violent.

Bardock quickly got out from bed. He thought it was a new enemy that had set forth on Earth, but he remembered Raditz. Without any second thoughts, he knew he was about to face the reality about his eldest son.

"It can't be…Raditz…no, it's too early for his amnesia to cure," Bardock said with disbelief. "No, it's true. Raditz is back to his old self."

He tightened his fists real hard. He was very angry to know that Raditz chose to continue to be an enemy instead. Without delaying any more time, he ran downstairs and exited his way out of Kame House to race against time and catch up with his eldest son before anything could happen.

Master Roshi spotted him and tried to call him, but it was too late. "Bardock, wait! …hmm, he's in a rush today."

"Yeah, and his face seemed a bit worried too," Krillin thought.

"Is it about Raditz?" Bulma said.

"It could be or worse…" Krillin put his head down. He was right indeed; something far worse about Raditz.

Back at Mount Paozu, Goku felt the terrible ki also. It instantly lost his appetite and his instincts quickly became alert to his surroundings. "What's this I'm sensing?"

Chi-Chi turned her head to check on her husband while she cleaned the dishes. "Goku, what's wrong?"

"Daddy, what's the matter?" Gohan asked.

Goku firmly stood up and ran to the door, leaving his unfinished meals behind. "Chi-Chi, Gohan, just stay here. I need to go somewhere."

"Goku, you can't go yet! You need to help me clean up the house," reminded Chi-Chi.

"Not now, Chi-Chi. I'll be back!" Goku quickly headed outside and called on Nimbus. The golden cloud dashed and rolled to him. Goku hopped on it and left for departure.

Goku said, "That's a very strong energy. Whoever it is, it'll be eliminated for good if it's an enemy," but then he quickly remembered his older brother. His eyes grew wide. When he sensed the energy more, he finally realized it was not a new enemy rather he was about to confront the worse. "Wait, this energy I'm sensing. It's from…Raditz? No, it can't be! Not now!"

His anxiety grew and sweat started to come out from his flesh. He did not expect his amnesia to cure in such a short amount of time. Goku told his Nimbus to fly faster, and the cloud obeyed his commands. As Goku disappeared within the skies, his mind was focused on his older brother. He did not expect for this to happen yet. To his disbelief, it did happen. He decided to stop his older brother now before anything could happen.


	11. Realization

Episode 11

Realization

As Goku soared in the skies, he could feel the violent energy getting closer. Bardock was also searching for Raditz too. Unlike Goku though, Goku knew how to use his senses properly, which meant he can track down a person's energy even miles away. Unfortunately for Bardock, he was still learning how to use his senses, thus cannot pick up a person's life force that quickly. At this time, Bardock could only trust his instincts. He also wished that he had a scouter right now just to locate his son.

In one large metropolis, people were screaming in fright when the sinister Raditz entered the city and started to destroy everything in his path using energy blasts.

"Yes, run like a swarm of worms. You can't escape from me!" Raditz declared.

Everyone panicked. Everyone tried to evacuate, but they could not since Raditz easily blocked their paths by destroying the roads and by also distracting them.

"Die you fragile breed of humans!" Raditz shouted once more.

Goku and Bardock flew in turbo speed mode. Goku was getting closer, obviously, and he could sense power levels rapidly decreasing to zero.

Goku bit his lip. "This is terrible! I have to go faster!" together, Nimbus and Goku went quicker than ever before. They had to get there fast before time runs out.

Bardock was still close to nowhere in finding Raditz, but as every second passed by, he was getting ticked off. "Raditz, if it's you, then you're going too far now. I have no choice, but to stop you. Even if it means…killing you!"

Raditz gathered a sufficient amount of energy from his left hand. He was about to make the final blow that will exterminate every inhabitant in the city including the metropolis itself. His evil smile frightened all the helpless humans. Raditz never felt so much pride before…or was it getting too much?

Unexpectedly, a power strike hit Raditz on his back and he was sent to the ground. He quickly regained his balance to figure out who purposely sent that attack to him. "What? Who did that?"

"Raditz, stop this!" said the voice.

Raditz was shocked. "What? Kakarot? How did you find me here?"

"No need to explain," Goku said, finally arriving to scene. "All you have to know is that you're going too far. I have to settle this once and for all."

Raditz, at first, was lost, but then now remembering that his younger brother was still frail and weak, he laughed under his breath and did not feel afraid at all. He actually felt good about this. He can actually take down his brother now.

"Kakarot, I'm glad for you come," said Raditz. "The reason why I was destroying this metropolis is that so you can find me here and settle the fight we had a long time ago."

Goku felt anger in his chest. "I should've known. Even though your amnesia cured, you still turned back to the same old warrior."

Raditz just stared at him with an evil grin plastered on his face.

"I was hoping you might change for the greater good!" Goku held a fist.

"Change? No, Saiyans never change. Haven't you known already?" Raditz questioned him. "We were born as heartless warriors. We will never change."

"But..." Goku was quiet for a while and then said in a brave voice. "Too much greed, too much pride, too many acts of violence just to satisfy one's heart will end up falling into his own downfall instead. You have no idea what you're doing! I was hoping-"

"-hope?" Raditz angrily said. "There's no such thing as hope! Keep your fantasies to yourself. Whatever you did to change me, it'll never work! HYAH!"

Sooner or later, the coldhearted Saiyan fired a powerful move. "Saturday Crush!"

"Waah!" Goku dodged the move, leaving with almost a funny face behind. When the Saturday Crush hit the trees behind, it exploded greatly. Goku breathed heavily. When he turned around, he saw Raditz coming towards him.

"Rargh!" Raditz threw a punch, an almost quick one, but Goku luckily evaded it this time. However, Raditz dashed behind him and countered with a strong sidekick to his back. Goku was blown away, but used his flying skills to allow him to stop from getting blown any further.

He looked up and was surprised by Raditz's speed. "Wow, he has gotten stronger than last time! This is bad, but at the same time," Goku then gave a soft smile, "I'm getting excited!"

Raditz then fired energy blasts, but Goku kept on evading them; some he barely missed. The energy blasts ended up destroying the buildings of the city. Due to this, screams of terror were heard from the evacuating people.

"_We can't fight here," _Goku said to himself. _"At this rate, the whole city will be crushed if we keep fighting like this."_

Raditz came up to his brother and crossed his arms. "What's the matter, Brother? Are you afraid? You should be!"

"Let's fight somewhere else, Raditz!" warned Goku. "People are evacuating and we're just crushing the entire city."

But Raditz actually liked the destruction he was making. "That's what I exactly want. Let's keep fighting like this, shall we?"

"No, we have to go somewhere else!" defended the kind Saiyan.

Raditz snorted and did not listen. "Hmph."

Goku made two fists. "Then I guess I'll just have to search a new battlefield then."

Goku then moved away from Raditz. His evil brother followed him along with his homing energy blasts trying to hit him. Goku was able to dodge all of them except for a few. Those few, when they struck his skin, felt like thousands of flames burning him internally. It hurt him very badly. Already, he felt his own energy decreasing slowly. Raditz was stronger than ever before. Whenever a Saiyan experiences a near-death situation and is able to survive, a Saiyan's strength increases dramatically.

When the time felt it took too long, it was only about three minutes when Goku was able to find the perfect place. It was almost a wasteland, but it had a few trees and bushes. The entire place though was rocky with winds bellowing heavily from time to time.

"Here's my chance!" Goku said. After the last blast was shot from Raditz's palm, Goku took great speed and was able to get behind his brother. Not delaying any more time, he kicked him and sent him down to the ground. While he was down, Goku flew faster and knee struck him on the stomach. After attacking him, he soared back into the skies.

"What the?" shouted Raditz. As he got up, he felt some pain in his body that made him twitch. It was awkward for him because his power had increased and yet his younger brother was able to give him some damage. He looked at his palms for a moment. Was this pain resulted from his brother doing some training these past weeks?

"Or...am I getting too soft?" Raditz said in disbelief. He shook his head and refused to believe that his heart had some good in it. "No! My heart, my Saiyan pride! The evil needs to stay within me. I can't lose it! I will not give in my pride for this life of mediocrity!"

His anger had his aura burst and explode. Raditz quickly locked his angry eyes at his brother's eyes of innocence and fired a Double Sunday move. This time, he was able to do it successfully. Two energy beams were fired.

Goku held his hands together and moved them forward, launching a quick, yet strong Kamehameha wave. The Kamehameha and the Double Sunday exchanged shots. The two beams struggled to overpower one another, though they were strangely equal at force, which made Raditz vex about it.

Bardock felt strong energies ahead of him. He could almost smell it. He assumed he was getting closer in finding Raditz. With that, he dashed faster in the skies, his body leaving trails of white aura behind.

The struggling beams instead exploded right in front of them. The haze and fog blocked their visions. As Goku tried to find Raditz, his opponent suddenly appeared at his left side.

"What?" Goku exclaimed.

"Looking for me?" Raditz said as he threw a punch to his face.

Goku was hit and felt his face almost paralyzed, but then used his feet to deliver a grueling sidekick. Raditz, however, parried his move. From there, they exchanged blows. Both of the brothers accumulated their fighting status; particularly their speed and attack. Raditz's punches were very hurtful to Goku, yet so Raditz could also feel the pain his younger brother tried to give to him. Their auras were flaring and bursting like fireworks. Shockwaves were coming out from their bodies. Their strong forces slowly crumbled their environment.

As they attacked vigorously, Goku yelled at him and, like his father, convinced him to change. "Please, Raditz! I know deep in your heart, you want to change! You must!"

"Shut up, you fool!" Raditz shouted back. "I take orders from no one! Not even my own flesh and blood! Why would I give up my Saiyan pride?"

The younger brother of pure heart continued to persuade his brother's evil soul. "Because if you don't, if you continue to care about yourself and your hunger for more destruction and power..."

Raditz was able to find an opening and so occupied it with a strong knee strike to his brother's stomach. Goku was held back in deep, silent pain, but he continued to speak. "...you'll...you'll lose everything! Even the ones you cherish the most!"

The grin on the evil brother's face suddenly vanished, like a painter erasing everything on his canvas with one brush stroke. Raditz, for the first time in his life, strangely felt...frightened._ "Lose everything…?" _he said to himself.

And then, Goku was surprised when he gazed again into his brother's eyes and suddenly saw sympathy. The two brothers then swiftly stared at each other; their eyes glistening with confusion and hope. Goku's hopes were all on Raditz now. All he wanted was that he would change. All he wanted was his brother to be a good person. It did not really matter if Raditz was really his brother, a stranger, a friend, or even a foe, Goku's only wish in this world was for everyone to live in peace with one another.

The softness struck again in Raditz's heart. He felt warmth within his chest. For the first time, was he actually feeling shame? Was he actually feeling the warmth between him and his brother?

Raditz gulped hard. He shook his head to eradicate that soft, pitiful emotion. He almost screamed. "NO! No, I refuse to change! Remember this, Kakarot. You're a _disgrace_ to the Saiyan race!"

Bardock's instincts clicked on him once again. Ahead of him, he saw smoke floating and two figures battling each other. He assumed they were his sons. "Raditz! And...Kakarot is there too. Hold on!"

The frustrated Saiyan pushed the kind Saiyan away from his sights. Goku knew though he needed to attack next. He powered up his strength and went for a striking, straight punch. His fist dazzled with blue and white aura. He delivered the move and successfully hit Raditz on the stomach. Goku felt it was like punching a steel wall that it almost broke his arm. Before Goku could perform his next attack, Raditz was quick on his reflexes and this time, knee struck his own brother on the stomach.

Goku was stopped for a moment. He did not scream in pain. After waiting, Goku was forced to spurt out blood from his mouth. The ache was too petrifying, it kept his mouth sealed.

Raditz's eyes almost turned white and became a maniac, killing machine. He laughed in a malicious laughter. "Hah, hah!"

Raditz let go of his younger brother while Goku continued to stand in one place, paralyzed with too much pain all over his body. He wondered why he could not move a muscle. The evil Saiyan lifted his left arm and gathered immense energy for one of his ultimate moves: Shining Friday. Because of his newly gained power, he was able to perform his Super Attacks much faster and efficiently. Not too long, his ultimate move was complete.

"Now, Kakarot, this is a lesson you'll never forget. This is the punishment for all Saiyans who had forgotten about their true nature since the day they were born!" Raditz said in a vociferous voice.

Goku looked into Raditz's eyes.

"NO!" cried a voice from afar.

When the time came when everything was to be decided, Raditz fired his Shining Friday. Just after he released the blast, a powerful, shocking kick was sent to his face, which made his face screamed in deep pain. Raditz was sent to the ground, but the Shining Friday of vengeance continued to move towards Goku. Once Goku and the blast made contact, the finisher disintegrated and the pure-hearted fighter was engulfed in agonizing pain. Goku never felt this much pain before in his life. He was shocked and terrified.

"AUGH!" he screamed helplessly.

Raditz weakly got up from the ground and tried to find out who gave that painful kick. He looked up and was surprised to see Bardock. "Huh, Father?"

His father though did not hear him. Instead, his face was petrified to see Goku being overcome and eaten up by Raditz's finisher. This painful scene lasted short, but the memories for it lasted long in one's mind. With his eyes closed, Goku helplessly fell to the ground with deep wounds and blood all over his body. Bardock instinctively rushed to Goku's aid and shook him. "Kakarot! Kakarot! Wake up! Kakarot!"

Goku opened an eye and coughed excessively. "Ba-Bardock…?"

"Kakarot, are you-"

Goku tried to explain something to him. "Bardock, Raditz had turned back to his old-self. He destroyed too many innocent lives, but I want you not to kill him for yourself…! I know he will change if he just looks back at his past and see what he has done…"

Bardock was a bit confused. He started to shake in worry. "Kakarot, why you're saying such stupid things? Stop it! You're disturbing…me…"

The weakened Saiyan felt like he was extremely ill. "I know it's hard to believe. I think this is the end for me."

"What?" exclaimed Bardock. "No, you can't…die now!"

Goku calmed him down. "Don't worry. I can be brought back to life again. Just promise me you'll give Raditz a chance."

"Again?" Bardock thought such a thing could never exist, but judging by his face, he looked sincere about it. "By what? Tell me!"

"By the…" Goku's voice then faded and could not finish his sentence. Instead, he closed his eyes and turned his head slightly away from Bardock. A moment of silence drifted by, but a warm smile appeared on Goku's face as if he was glad the end had come. His soul had already left.

Raditz witnessed this scene. The anger in his mind had faded away, but a terrible feeling made his heart sank. He thought he was supposed to feel satisfied now that his brother was gone; that he would not see his brother again and remind him of the "disgrace" his brother brought to the Saiyan race. He thought all his hatred towards him will finally be mitigated. However, it only made him feel worse.

Raditz descended from the skies and walked to Bardock. He spoke in a voice, which showed he was terribly frightened. "Fa-Father…?"

Bardock did not say anything. His face was half-way down, feeling melancholy, but when he spoke, his voice was silently filled with rage. "…get out…"

"Wha-what…?" stuttered Raditz.

Bardock repeated what he said. "…get out…"

Raditz stammered and gulped hardly. "I-I didn't…"

Bardock then furiously shouted at him. "GET OUT! You're the _one_ who's _the_ disgrace of the Saiyan race family!"

The quivering Saiyan tried to calm him down. "Father, please…I…"

"GET OUT!" Bardock then released an angry ki blast. Raditz luckily evaded it, but the energy blast left a deep crater on the ground.

"Dad-" Raditz whispered while floating in the skies.

"And _never_ come back again!" Bardock yelled.

Raditz was shocked to hear this. Upon hearing his words, he left suddenly and darted far away from his father, his brother, and from everyone else; as far away as possible. He vanished hastily with nothing in his heart, but carrying deep realization of the truth. Bardock held his son tightly into his arms. He cannot believe he had to lose him too, after losing his comrades and his home planet. He screamed to the entire world of his son's name, Kakarot.


	12. A Lesson Learned

Episode 12

A Lesson Learned

That dreadful silence came. The winds continued to blow. As Raditz left without a trace, Bardock punched the ground heavily, almost creating a rumble. If only he was here earlier, he would have saved his son. The devastated father then stared again at his child. He only came to Earth because he wanted to see him. Now, he cannot see him anymore.

"Kakarot," Bardock said his name one more time.

Then, to his surprise, Goku started to faintly disappear.

"What?" Bardock exclaimed.

Goku continued to disappear like water slowly evaporating to come back to the skies. He then vanished into thin-air, and had only left his warm smile behind to reminisce.

Bardock started to panic a bit. "He's gone? Kakarot!" he stood up and searched everywhere for him. It was eccentric because it was supposed to be that Goku's spirit, not his body, would enter the Otherworld. Instead, Goku took everything with him.

While he frantically searched, a voice interrupted him. "Goku and his body are both taken in the afterlife."

Bardock stopped and followed the sound of the voice. He realized it was Piccolo, the one who joined forces with Goku to take out the relentless Raditz.

Bardock was not surprised. "Hey, I know you."

"Piccolo, in case if you don't know," Piccolo introduced himself.

Bardock gave a serious look, yet it was obvious the sadness was still written all over his face. Piccolo found this strange because it looked like he was not crying at all even though his son was gone. The alien-like creature assumed Bardock was trained to be very tough since the beginning.

"Kakarot, he's gone, but why he suddenly disappeared like that?" asked Bardock, hoping to hear an answer from him.

"I already told you. Goku and his body are both taken in the afterlife," reminded Piccolo.

The Saiyan did not get it. "I don't understand. How's that possible?"

"Cases like those are very rare," told the green-skinned alien. "A person is sometimes allowed to depart to the afterlife with his body. It shows he has been true and good at heart."

Bardock was silent, but he agreed with him. He could tell that his son's heart was very pure and free from any evil or temptations.

Piccolo continued. "By now, Goku has been escorted by Kami to the Otherworld, I believe."

"Otherworld…wait a minute. Who's Kami?"

"Kami is the current Guardian of the Earth. His job here is to watch all living things. He is also the creator of these magical orbs called DragonBalls. Those DragonBalls, when gathered all seven, an eternal dragon will be summoned and it can grant you any wish, but there are some wishes that the dragon cannot grant that exceeds the power of God," explained Piccolo, who had also indirectly answered Bardock's questions.

"DragonBalls? Eternal Dragon? Wishes…?" Bardock then recalled what Goku was trying to tell him, but he could not finish since it was time for him to go. This could tie up the notch. "Wait, Kakarot, before he died, he told me that he can be brought back to life again by the...then he wasn't be able to finish."

"That's exactly what he's trying to say," Piccolo folded his arms. "Goku was trying to tell you that if you just gather all seven DragonBalls, ask the dragon to bring him back to life and it will grant it."

Already, the melancholy in Bardock disappeared. His heart was filled with relief and joy. He never thought such a thing could exist even in the deepest depths of the universe, but he was proven wrong. Now with hope in him, he was now motivated in collecting all seven DragonBalls to wish his son back to life.

Above the ocean skies and into the vast, outer space, entering into a spirit realm where spirits linger, it was the Otherworld. Golden clouds and light red skies surrounded the white souls that were lining up for the checking station to be judged. The checking station looked like a court almost. The checking station was managed by King Yemma, a judge who decides who will go to Heaven and who will go to the Underworld.

"_All right, please. Fall in line! No cutting! Single file please. Keep it down_," said a blue-skinned man with two horns, dressed in fine, office clothes. He was holding a megaphone, and he looked peculiar. In fact, the people who were managing the checking station and its day-to-day operations all appeared peculiar. They all looked like ogres and aliens only with much kinder faces.

Inside the checking station, there sat King Yemma on his huge chair and huge desk filled with books, papers, and a single gavel. Like his other employees, he had two horns and his skin was deep red. He had a black mustache and a beard, and he was dressed in purple, office clothes. The souls that were lining up, that were ready to be judged, only looked like a small pebble to King Yemma's eyes since he was almost as tall as the checking station.

King Yemma tapped the table with his gavel and said, "All right, you passed."

The little white soul cheered. "Yay! I pass! I pass!"

"Next! Can I get the next soul please?" King Yemma called.

Two people then proceeded forward. Like Piccolo had said, it was Kami and Goku.

Kami had already been to the checking station many times while Goku was at complete awe. He was amazed by the size of King Yemma and how the Otherworld looked like as well.

"He's huge!" Goku exclaimed. He asked Kami who was King Yemma. Kami then explained to him that he was in charge of who will go to Heaven or Hell. His name also meant "the judge of the dead."

"Hmm? Kami, who have you brought here today?" King Yemma questioned him.

"It's Goku, King Yemma," replied Kami in the utmost decorum.

Goku beamed and smiled. "Yep, that's me, Mister."

"Let me see," King Yemma picked up a book titled "Who's Who" and flipped through the pages. It was a book keeping records about a person's life and background and what he or she had done during his or her days in Earth (or from another planet). After briefly flipping the sheets, King Yemma then saw Goku's page. "Oh yes, here we are. Goku...my you've got quite a lot of good achievements here. You have remained good at heart. That's great. So what brings you here, Kami?

"I humbly ask you, King Yemma, that Goku may seek training from King Kai with your permission, of course," Kami respectfully said.

King Yemma placed his tome on his desk. "King Kai? Oh yes, him. The King of the Worlds of the North. I was his very first student. He taught me all kinds of martial arts. Though he's a bad joker, he is wise."

Goku was intrigued by King Kai's background.

"So you want to train under him, huh? Why?" King Yemma inquired.

Goku explained himself. "Y'know me, I love to fight. Ever since I came to this world, I figured it'll be more exciting if I go on an adventure. That's why Kami here mentioned about King Kai. I have to train in order to beat very strong opponents along the way. I need to be always prepared. After I train with King Kai, then I can go back to Earth."

"Go back? What do you mean?" King Yemma asked.

"Oh, in Earth, we have these so-called DragonBalls," explained Goku. "These are magical orbs that, when gathered all seven, a dragon will appear and grant you any wish. I plan to have my friends down on Earth collect the DragonBalls so they can wish me back to life."

King Yemma rubbed his hairy chin. "I see. That's very interesting. How long do you plan to train under King Kai then?"

"Just a year," replied Goku eagerly.

"Hmm..." King Yemma started to think. "In order to get to King Kai's planet, you must embark on a journey in Snake Way and overcome obstacles along the way. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"You bet I am! I can kick their butts!" Goku tightened his two fists.

"Goku, show some respect!" Kami scolded him.

Goku scratched his head. "Sorry! Um…Kami, does everybody go here when they die?"

"Yes, they come here to this checking station and King Yemma will decide who will stay here or who will go to the Underworld."

"Wow!" Goku then faced King Yemma. "Sir, I have a question. When bad guys come to the checking station, do they try to fight you?"

"Oh yes, but I always surpass them. I always put them in my Yemma head-lock and overpower them!" King Yemma said proudly.

Goku was glad to hear that. It sounded like King Yemma was very powerful. Instead of just going on a journey just to get King Kai's place, how about he trains with King Yemma instead now that he was here.

Kami cleared his throat and whispered to Goku. "Don't be ridiculous. King Kai is much stronger than King Yemma!"

King Yemma though heard the elderly man. He laughed and said. "I heard that, Kami. I'll remember that when I'm passing sentence on you!"

Kami chuckled nervously and scratched his wrinkled head. "Oh, King Yemma, I didn't know your ears were so big-I mean, good! Heh, heh..."

A sweat drop appeared on the judge's head. He cleared his throat and moved on to the next subject. "Anyways. Well then, Goku, I give you permission to seek training from King Kai."

"Really? Thank you very much, King Yemma!" thanked Goku.

Kami bowed respectfully. "Thank you very much, King Yemma."

"Now, Goku. Go wait outside at the entrance. Somebody will escort you to Snake Way," King Yemma said.

"Thanks," Goku proceeded to go outside, but King Yemma called him again.

"And remember, Goku. Snake Way is a place where you should take extra caution. You better make sure that you don't fall off from the Snake Way road. If you do, there is no coming back. Again, be careful."

Kami nodded. "That's right. It's a long road ahead so just stick to your goal. Don't meander or do anything that will cause you danger."

Goku heed to their words. "I'm not really sure what to expect, but I will try my very best. I'll be fine! Thanks a lot! So long!" Goku waved to Kami and King Yemma. He then moved on and left.

Kami had a lot of confidence in him. He was one strong fighter, a determined one. He was a kind of warrior who will never let anything stand in his way. Despite all of this though, Kami felt quite anxious. Now with Goku gone, who was left to battle the evil forces that might decide to ravage Earth? In addition, after Goku passed away from Earth, Kami remembered Raditz. He could almost feel the Saiyan's heart pounding as he left, not wanting to see the sight of his father Bardock and his brother Goku. Kami wondered if this meant something. He also hoped that after Goku's training, Goku will be strong enough to face any new challenges along the way.

_SLAM!_

"Kami, stop halting the line, would you?" King Yemma shouted.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, King Yemma! Eh, heh! Have a nice day!" Kami quickly vanished.

Bardock and Piccolo continued to talk.

"So...do you perchance know how to get the DragonBalls?" the father of Raditz and Goku asked.

"Go ask Goku's friends," advice Piccolo. "They have some sort of a device that could detect those hidden DragonBalls. These orbs are scattered all over the world. It's best to use some kind of an apparatus to search for them easily."

Bardock nodded. Then, he almost forgot about something. "Wait. Speaking of friends, we have to go tell them what happened to Kakarot, but it'll be hard to tell…"

The winds blew. The atmosphere right now felt tensed. How would Goku's friends and family react to this? As Bardock and Piccolo stood silent for a while, the alien-like creature asked a question.

"…you call Goku 'Kakarot' instead. What is that name anyway?"

Bardock gazed at the clear skies. "That's his real name. It's the name I've given to him when he was born."

The Saiyan then asked Piccolo a question. "You…you're not from around here, aren't you?"

Piccolo was vexed to hear that, but he sometimes _did_ feel he did not belong here; however, he was raised here on Earth anyway. Obviously, he looked different from any other human being. Piccolo turned his back from him with his white cape flowing soundlessly.

"Hmph, maybe," Piccolo snorted. He then suddenly departed and left Bardock behind.

The curious Saiyan only watched him with his bandanna flowing with the winds as well.

Inside Kame House, Bulma, Krillin, Master Roshi were extremely bored.

Bulma stretched her arms and yawned. "I'm so tired!"

"Me too!" Krillin agreed. "I wish Bardock will get back soon."

"You think Goku went along too?" asked Master Roshi.

Krillin nodded. "I bet he did. But whatever happens to Goku, there's always the DragonBalls."

Bulma then heard from outside the sounds of waves splashing quickly. The sounds were getting louder and louder. "What's that?"

Bulma, Krillin, and Master Roshi headed outside. Ahead, they spotted a hovering, yellow car coming towards them. It was the Ox-King, Chi-Chi, and Gohan. Ox-King was waving happily, but Chi-Chi displayed a very serious, heated face.

"Hey, it's Chi-Chi, Ox-King, and Gohan!" Master Roshi said.

When Krillin saw the look on Chi-Chi's face, he did not feel like being here. "Oh boy, what now?"

They parked their car on the island. Chi-Chi got off by herself while Ox-King helped Gohan get out of the vehicle.

"Hello, Master Roshi," bowed Ox-King. "I can remember the times I spent training with you."

Master Roshi smiled. "Yes, you were a good student back then."

"Hi, Gohan," Bulma approached Gohan. "It's nice to see you again."

Gohan waved sweetly. "Hi."

Krillin bent down and asked Gohan where his father was. Gohan responded that his father did not tell where he was going, but he did say he needed to leave because he felt some strong energy. He just left without another word, and since Goku was gone for a long time, Chi-Chi was becoming impatient and so decided to visit Kame House to see if Goku was here, training martial arts.

Krillin crossed his arms. "Hah, that's typical Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi then stomped angrily and hollered loudly. "All right, where's Goku? It's been two hours now and he hasn't come back yet. Where is he? I bet he's trying to sneak out from his chores just to train!"

Master Roshi nervously calmed her down. "I'm not sure where he is. Goku's not here though."

Chi-Chi scoffed. "Are you sure you're telling the truth? Because I'm getting real impatient here!"

Before Chi-Chi argued more, a familiar voice interrupted the conversation. Gohan, Chi-Chi, and including everyone turned to that direction of the voice. They all realized it was Bardock.

"Bardock's here!" Turtle said.

"Bardock!" cheered Bulma.

Krillin was happy to know that he was safe.

Gohan was glad to see his grandfather again. "Grandpa Bardock, you're here!"

However, as Bardock landed on the rough sands of the island, his face looked dark and not too happy. When they saw the expression in his face, they just hated to think what just happened.

Krillin was concerned. "What's the matter, Bardock?"

"Yeah, you look worried," Bulma said.

At first, it was hard for Bardock to tell the truth. He felt he could not speak as if his voice had left him. Even though he was informed about the DragonBalls and its magical powers, including the possibility the orbs can bring a person back to life, it was still difficult to tell about Goku. Bardock knew Goku's friends and family were very fond of Goku, and they will be devastated when they hear this. When Bardock finally looked at them, his eyes were glistening. In a straightforward voice, he finally told them what happened to Goku. When he spoke the dreadful news, everyone's stomachs were twisted, their hearts felt heavy, and tears started to burst from their eyes. For Bardock, he hated to see this kind of scene.

"Daddy…oh, Daddy," Gohan sniffed and cried heavily. His mother Chi-Chi, due to too much stress and shock, instead fainted onto her father's arms. Krillin was also shocked to hear about his best friend. Master Roshi assumed that Raditz's memories were back and had decided to remain malevolent. Bulma also cried, and when she saw Gohan crying softly to himself, she comforted him by embracing him.

"It's okay, Gohan," Bulma assured him, but she could not stop crying too.

"Daddy!" Gohan projected all his tears out.

Krillin, with angry tears, punched the sands heavily. He pictured Raditz's mean face. Now, he was feeling some hatred towards him. Goku was his best friend and it was a heartbreaker he was now gone. "That Raditz, I can't believe him!" he yelled and stammered.

Bardock gave them some time for their moments. Afterwards, he spoke again, catching their attention. He told them to not cry because they still have the DragonBalls. When Goku's friends and family heard this, their hearts were at least relieved.

"Wait…right! The DragonBalls!" Krillin suddenly said as if he sprung to life again.

"That's right. The DragonBalls, we can always use them to wish Goku back to life!" Bulma said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"In fact, Kakarot, err, Goku, I mean," Bardock said, correcting himself since his son's family and friends were not familiar with that name yet, "actually said the same thing."

Gohan was at first puzzled why they were suddenly happy. He turned his head to Bulma and asked her. Tears were still coming out from his eyes. "Bulma, what are DragonBalls?"

"DragonBalls, Gohan, are magical orbs. There are seven of them. When gathered all seven, it awakens an eternal dragon. The dragon can grant you any wish you like. We can ask the dragon to bring Goku back to life!" Bulma exclaimed. She then tapped Gohan's four-star DragonBall attached to his hat and said, "This is a DragonBall, remember?"

The young boy's eyes lit up and an incipient smile appeared. It sounded impossible, but he knew Earth was a place where a lot of magic and mysteries lie.

"Really? Daddy! He's going to come back!" Gohan joyfully said. "I have to tell Mommy when she wakes up. She'll be very happy!"

"I know!" Bulma agreed.

When Bardock saw the sudden triumphant joy in their faces, he chuckled in his mind. _"Wow, what a sudden change of mood."_

Krillin then approached the quiet, yet smiling Saiyan. He slipped his hands inside his pockets. "Hey, Bardock, what happened to Raditz?"

The smile on his face quickly disappeared. Bardock still felt some anger inside about his eldest son's violent acts and cruel nature. He wondered if he had learned his lesson.

Bardock ignored his question. He spoke to Bulma instead. "Miss Bulma, I know it sounds hasty, but will it be okay if we start getting all seven DragonBalls? We need to revive Goku back to life as soon as possible."

Bulma stood up and took out the Dragon Radar from her shorts. "Okay, you can count on us. We can start tomorrow, early in the morning."

"Yes, the earlier we start, the earlier we can bring Goku back to life," Master Roshi said.

"Thank you," Bardock said, almost in a whisper. Without another word, he slowly ascended into the skies and flew away until he was nowhere to be seen.

Master Roshi tried to halt him. "Wait! Where is he going?"

Bulma said, "Let's leave him alone."

Krillin agreed. "Yeah. When I asked him about Raditz, he seemed to be bothered. Bardock's having a very bad day today."

Ox-King felt sorry. "I understand him. I hope that Raditz will change soon."

Roshi nodded. "Yes."

Bardock was flying beneath the unblemished clouds and within the vast skies. He thought about his two sons, especially Goku. Even though he knew his son was going to come back to Earth, it just felt weird and awkward that he had to be isolated from him again. He was not able to get to know his son better these past weeks because Goku was busy and already had a family to look out for. Bardock just wished that at least for one day, it was just only him and his son together, as they talk about themselves, the past, present, and the future.

Raditz was walking within an empty place of rocky grounds, canyons, and deep ravines. Winds were either blowing heavily or they were not there at all. The sun's rays were on him, but Raditz did not want any light. He only wanted darkness to hide himself from the world, to hide his shame and guilt. However, he felt he had no choice, but to stand in the spotlight and expose his cruelty. "Fa-Father, what have I done?" he said.

Raditz continued to meander. He then reached into his Saiyan armor (the past few weeks, Bulma was kind enough to repair his Saiyan armor for him) and pulled out another new scouter. "I still have a back-up."

He placed the scouter on his left eye and activated it on standby mode. He continued to walk. He tried to forget about all of this because Saiyans were supposed to be heartless warriors from the beginning. They were supposed to be savage beasts that only cared about their formidable race, fighting, becoming best, and punish those who decide to abandon their own people. Raditz should feel satisfied now that Goku was gone.

Nevertheless though, no matter how hard he tried to erase these feelings, to only think of this as an illusion, his heart felt it wanted to explode as it was filled with too many…

"Bardock…" he said. He then thought about his younger brother for a while and said sadly, "Kakarot…"

Raditz clenched his two fists. He then looked at the skies. His eyes were becoming red. The evil grin on his face that shook violently instantly changed into a deep frown. This was the final straw. He could not take it anymore. He shouted to the entire world. "Kakarot, I'm-I'm sorry!"

He knelt down on the ground. Tears came out from his pitiful eyes. The droplets splashed on the ground and stayed there, though they wanted to hide because of the shame they felt. Raditz struggled to speak, but he wanted to express his regrets. "I'm so sorry for what I've done! Even though I tried to kill you, I still cared about you! I was-I was just doing my part as an older brother. I just couldn't…I'm so sorry."

Raditz just wished he could reverse time, but whatever happened in the past will always stay in the past. He realized now what his father meant; that having too much pride can lead to having to lose everything. Indeed, it did happen. He was foolish enough, too evil, and too savage to not notice it until now.

The grieving, raged Saiyan pounded on the ground angrily. "I lost them; my own brother, my own father. I _am_ a disgrace to the Saiyan race family! I regret for what I've done, Kakarot. Pl-please for-forgive m-me...!" his voice broke down within every word. He cried and trembled silently.

All this time, he cared about his own younger brother.

"Kakarot!" Raditz shouted to the entire world.


	13. Unexpected Messages

Episode 13

Unexpected Messages

_Whoosh!_

It was almost midnight. The moon was half and occasionally, it was being covered by passing raining clouds. The stars were twinkling on the black canvas of night, but it seemed some of them were refusing to shine.

In the rocky area of emptiness, on top of a canyon, there sat Raditz. He was extremely quiet, almost taciturn. He had not said another single word after he confessed that what he had done to his own brother was sinful. He buried his head on his legs and tried to hide his face from the world. His eyes, once again, swelled up with tears. Sometimes, he tried to discreetly hide his emotions because Saiyans were not supposed to show how sad they were. For Raditz though, he could not help it.

As for Goku, one employee of the checking station drove Goku to his destination: Snake Way. As Goku was in the car and watching the perpetual skies roll by, the employee asked the fighter a question.

"So, Sir Goku, are you in good health and ready to go?"

"You bet I am," Goku said eagerly. "I can't wait to meet King Kai! I wonder how he looks like."

"Only King Yemma knows what he looks like," said the employee. "So what kind of martial arts do you do? King Fu?

"Kinda," Goku said. "It's actually called 'Kame Sennin' which means 'Turtle Hermit.'"

"So…you're leaning the way of the Turtle?" the puzzled employee inquired.

Goku laughed. "No, not really. That's what it's called, but in this kind of martial arts, we learn many different sets of moves including the famous Kamehameha."

"That's interesting. I would like to learn that some time," the employee suddenly stopped the car. "Here we are."

When Goku got off the car, his heart almost jumped to his throat. In front of him was the head of a very realistic snake. It was actually Snake Way itself. The road actually looked like a serpent with sharp scales.

"I'm not sure why do they put that hideous face there. It always gives me the goose bumps," the driver shrugged.

Goku observed more of Snake Way. As he gazed at the horizons, it seemed to him that the road kept on going and going without end. "This is a pretty long road. How many miles does it extend, do you know?"

"The legend says it's about 10,000 miles, but nobody knows for sure," the employee thought.

"10,000 miles?" Goku was shocked. "Has anyone, aside from King Yemma, ever reached the end?"

The driver shook his head. "Nope, only King Yemma did, but that was dating back centuries ago."

Goku was amazed once again. "Centuries ago? Wow, and at the end of this road is King Kai's place. If I've known Snake Way was this long, I should've packed a lunch or something."

The driver shook his head again. "You don't have to worry about that. You'll be fine."

"Well, if one person can do it, then I bet two can," Goku encouraged himself. "I'm ready to go!"

"And remember, sir Goku. Should you fall out of Snake Way, there is no coming back," reminded the driver.

Goku nodded. "I'll be careful. I promise."

"Guess I'll be going back to King Yemma now. See ya," the man waved.

Before he left, Goku remembered something that he should tell the assistant. He quickly called out. "Oh wait! I almost forgot. Do you happen to know the fortune teller name Baba?"

"Fortuneteller Baba? Oh yes, her. She always pops out of nowhere," the employee said.

Goku smiled. "Great! Can you please give her an important message for me? Tell her to let my friends know down on Earth not to wish me back with the DragonBalls; not until a year has passed. I figured a one year's training time with King Kai should be enough. Also, tell her I owe her one."

The man jotted down some notes on his mini-notebook. "Fortuneteller Baba…DragonBalls…one year…and I owe you one. Okay, I got it."

"Thanks!" Goku then briefly stretched out his arms and legs. "All right, here I go!" he jumped and then flew at top speed. He now began to embark on a journey to seek King Kai's place.

The man stared with puzzled eyes. "…he can fly."

As the Otherworld's time was unlimited and every passing minute always showed daytime, down on Earth, night had just begun transitioning to dawn. The same place where Raditz had isolated himself from everyone, there, the Saiyan slept just in between low plateaus. When he woke up, the first thing he saw was the shy sun, peering and shining faintly. He rubbed his eyes and sat, still keeping his head down. It was just another day, he thought; another day of shame and regrets. He thought a good night's rest might help him disregard all the wrongful things he committed yesterday. Alas, the heavy feelings remained in his heart. They were so painful to carry.

As Raditz sat weakly and lonely, he gazed at the purple skies whose colors were just starting to become blue, morning skies. "I think I'm not qualified to be a Saiyan anymore. I'm a real weakling, a real low-class. I'm just…" but he did not feel like talking. He put his head down and stayed quiet.

Far from him, he did not realize that someone was there, actually watching him all along even while he was sleeping. It was Bardock. He had come to search for him. At this moment, there was no hatred in his heart. Besides, why should he hate his sons anyway? All they need was him.

"…Raditz."

Raditz's eyes widened and recognized the sound of his voice. He hastily stood up and started to tremble anxiously. When he turned around, he saw his father who had just landed. When his feet touched the ground, Raditz hastily backed away.

"What? Wha-what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Raditz," Bardock took a step forward, but his son backed away again.

"No, stay away," Raditz insisted. His heart was pounding. He wondered why his father had come to see him if he hated him so. "Go away! I'm a disgrace! Just stay away!"

His father saw him trembling and he felt sorry and worried for him. He tried to calm him down in a soft voice. "Raditz…I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Raditz raised his eyebrow a bit.

He started to explain the reason behind his burst of frightening anger. "I was…too frustrated since the day Frieza blew up Planet Vegeta. I lost everyone: my friends, my comrades, and your mother. Now…you and Kakarot are the only ones left for me…I'm-"

"No," Raditz interrupted.

Bardock raised his eyebrows this time.

"I'm the one who should making amends," the ashamed Saiyan put his head down. "I was so overly proud of myself. I killed too many innocent people, including my own younger brother. Now, I think I've learned a valuable lesson. I truly apologize…if only I could reverse time. If only I could just tell my brother how much I really cared for him…"

Raditz then looked at his father. "You hate me, right? There's no reason for me to be on this planet. I should just go and try to make a living someplace else where I wouldn't interfere with our family's life; not after the disgrace I put in our bloodline. Everyone will be much happier that way."

He then turned and was about to leave. He believed everyone will be better off without him.

Bardock called him. "Raditz."

Raditz stopped, but did not turn his head.

His father closed his eyes for a moment. He then opened them and said, "I forgive you."

Raditz remained silent for a moment and asked, "Why? After the things I've done, why?"

"Why? Because you regretted your wrong doings," explained Bardock. "You gave up your pride of Saiyans for the sake of yourself and your family. You have realized your mistakes. I'm proud of you, my son. Now _that's_ a true Saiyan warrior."

Raditz stared at his father's eyes of bravery and wisdom. His words calmed his mind down, but he still could not eliminate the shame he was feeling.

"I'm sure Kakarot would've said the same thing," Bardock added. "I'm sure that was his biggest wish. I'm certain that Kakarot has also forgiven you too."

The ashamed brother tightened his fists. His heart was filled with reassurance at last. He almost cried. His father was right. Even though his brother was not here to hear his apologies, their hearts of true brothers had already felt their understanding for each other; the forgiveness and most of all, love.

"Father, thank you," Raditz said.

Raditz and Bardock then approached each other. They looked at each other for a moment, and then embraced together, though with a little tad of hesitance since it had been so many years they had not hugged each other.

"And as a gift," Bardock then let go of his son and prepared in his fighting stance, "you may come and fight me. Come on!"

Raditz grinned and positioned in his fighting stance too. Now, his heart was jumping in excitement. "Okay! I won't hold back, Father!"

Bardock seriously said, "I would do the same!"

The two fighters rushed at each other in intensive speed no one could possibly anticipate. Already, the two Saiyans locked at each other and exchanged shots. Their punches and kicks moved very rapidly. Their auras instantly blazed wildly. Powerful shockwaves dispersed everywhere as a result from their constant collisions, and these demolished canyons and rocks with a single blow. It was a kind of battle no fighter had witnessed, not even Goku, since the Saiyans had their own method of fighting, and this kind was intensive and very dynamic.

At Kame House, only Bulma and Krillin had already wakened up. Gohan and his family stayed at Kame House for a few days because they felt "uncomfortable" going back to Mount Paozu because Goku was no longer there.

Bulma went downstairs to grab a cup of coffee. When she prepared her coffee, she saw Krillin in the living room doing his daily morning workout like push-ups and sit-ups.

"Good morning, Krillin," Bulma greeted.

Krillin stood up. "Morning, Bulma. How was your sleep?"

"It was good. Today is the day where we find the DragonBalls. Should we start searching for them now?" she asked.

Krillin chuckled a little. "Maybe after breakfast."

"You're right. Who wants to search for the DragonBalls on an empty stomach?" Bulma laughed as well.

Together, they smiled, but Krillin still felt uneasy from yesterday.

"Y'know, it's just not the same without Goku around," Krillin looked at the rug he was standing on. "I know that he will come back eventually, but it just doesn't feel right without him."

"I feel the same way too, Krillin," Bulma sipped her coffee. "We shouldn't be sad though. Let's just do our jobs. We'll find the DragonBalls and wish Goku back to life!"

The monk warrior rubbed his left arm. "You're right. Let's look at the bright side for once! Yeah!" he proudly made a fist.

A person then softly came downstairs. It appeared to be Chi-Chi.

"Oh, good morning, Chi-Chi," Bulma greeted.

"How's your sleep?" Krillin asked.

When she came down, her face looked haggard. Her eyes looked worn with black circles under them. Bulma and Krillin knew Chi-Chi had not been too well. The news about her husband kept her awake all night.

But she tried to give a smile. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Shall I get you a cup of coffee?" Bulma offered kindly.

"Oh sure, that'll be wonderful," Chi-Chi smiled. "Hmm…I feel like cooking breakfast today. Shall I go and buy some foods?"

Krillin was a bit puzzled. "That's…great, but you think you should just stay here? I mean, we can cook it ourselves."

"Nah, it's fine. Besides, I feel fine now. After hearing that the DragonBalls can actually wish a person back to life, I feel much happier because I know Goku is coming back soon."

Bulma smiled and took another sip from her coffee. "You betcha!"

"That's right. Goku will come back in no time," Krillin said with enthusiasm to fill the air with more joy.

"Well, I better get going now. I'll cook a delicious breakfast for all of you. Bye!" Chi-Chi then left with her car. Her face looked relieved.

"At least she had already gotten over with it," Bulma sighed.

Raditz and Bardock continued to battle each other out. Bardock fired homing energy blasts while his son evaded them all successfully. After the last energy blast, Raditz leaped in air and fired a quick Saturday Crush, but Raditz's father canceled it with a strong Full Power Energy Wave, and instead, the beam went straight for Raditz instead. But, he concentrated and with one yell, he deflected his father's beam without struggling at all.

Bardock landed on the ground and crossed his arms. "Wow, Son. You're doing pretty well. I see you've improved a lot."

Raditz tried to catch his breath. "Thanks, Father. I've never felt such strength! I guess this is the result from a change of heart."

"I agree. You want to stop here for now?" Bardock asked.

Raditz nodded. "Yeah, let's save our energies for later."

For the next thirty minutes, both father and son took a break. They sat on a canyon and gazed at the skies, which, by now, it was a full morning, about 9:00 A.M. While they relaxed their minds, an important question came to Raditz.

"Hey, Dad."

"What's up, Son?" Bardock responded without turning his head.

Raditz then focused his eyes on the ground. "Kakarot, he will not come back because of me."

"You mean, he _will_ come back," corrected Bardock. He turned his head and smiled.

Raditz was very confused. "What are you talking about, Father?"

"Piccolo told me. Do you remember him?"

"Yeah, the one who teamed up with Kakarot?"

"Well, Piccolo told me about these so called 'DragonBalls'," Bardock started to explain. "They were created by a guardian whose now living here on Earth. His name is Kami. These DragonBalls are magical orbs. They are seven of them scattered throughout the world. When all seven orbs are collected, an eternal dragon would appear and grant you any wish."

"So you're saying we can wish for Kakarot back to life and the dragon will grant it?" Raditz exclaimed. "I mean, how's that possible?"

Bardock shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know how, but it actually works. Piccolo said that that kind of wish was granted once."

Raditz felt a sense of happiness in him. "I can't believe it. I have to admit, Earth is a wonderful place to live."

"I would say the same thing," Bardock said.

"So, Kakarot _is_ really come back?" Raditz made sure he heard him right.

Bardock nodded and chuckled. "Ten thousand yes to that."

"Wow," Raditz never felt so much happiness in a long time. His brother would come back and he knew he was going to be as happy as him now that he was a changed man.

A moment of silence drifted by until…

_Beep, beep, beep!_

"What's that?" Bardock's attention was caught.

"Oh, it's my scouter," Raditz then pressed the button on his device. Few seconds passed later, two voices were then heard talking to each other. Bardock could hear them too.

Raditz listened closely. "What the?"

Bardock crossed his arms. "Who's talking?"

The two voices conversed.

"_So, Raditz has finally become a good guy. That imbecile, little jerk!" _one strange voice said.

"_Hmph, forget about him. He's just a low-class Saiyan. We have no use of him anymore," _another one stated.

"_What should we do now?"_

"_Hmm…heh, heh. I'm more interested in these so called 'DragonBalls.'"_

"What?" exclaimed Bardock.

Raditz shook his head. He then thought in his mind, _"No! I completely forgot! My…two comrades!"_

"_DragonBalls? Oh yeah. A dragon would appear and grant you any wish when you gather all seven of them. Neat. Whoever said that should've been more careful, but wait! Who said it anyway? Raditz didn't know anything about it and that voice who said about the DragonBalls sounds very familiar."_

Raditz looked at Bardock while his father stayed silent.

"_Hmph, no matter. Let's go."_

"_What? Go where?"_

"_Idiot! To Earth, of course! After we kill the inhabitants who live there, exterminate Raditz, and persuade that worthless fool who told about the DragonBalls, we'll get all seven of them and wish for immortality. Then, we shall destroy the entire planet."_

"_All right, immortality! I actually like your plan. What's even better than having eternal life and get all we want?"_

_"Precisely."_

_"We should get going. We should be there…in just a year!"_

"_Yes, let's go."_

Raditz's scouter turned off.

His father stared at him. "Raditz, who were those?"

"They're my comrades!" Raditz shook. "They're one of the last surviving Saiyans. I hate to say this, but Father, I think they could be stronger than any of us."

Bardock stood up and exclaimed, "What? Are you sure?"

"I've been with them since Frieza blew up our planet," said his son. "Even though I've been through a lot and my strength had already increased like right now, I don't think a little power-up can even surpass my two comrades' power."

Bardock felt the atmosphere had tension in it again. He gulped hard and said, "Okay…we should warn the others."

"Right," Raditz agreed.

Above the puffy clouds, in Kami's Tower, there stood the guardian of Earth almost at the edge of the platform.

"Kami, you look troubled," Mr. Popo, the genie, approached the aged alien.

Kami shook his head. "Oh no."

"Kami, are you all right?" Popo asked.

Kami firmly held his wooden crutch. "Two more evil presences are coming to Earth. I hope Goku is doing fine with his training. This isn't good. I smell death in the air. I believe this incoming evil will be one of the most decisive fights I've ever witnessed."

Upon hearing that, Mr. Popo gasped in fright while Kami started to sweat.

While Raditz and Bardock took flight and headed to Kame House to warn their friends about the two new enemies slowly approaching to Earth, Bardock received another vision from the future.

"_Eh, heh, a low-class Saiyan warrior. Prepare to die, fools!"_

"_Yeah, and we'll conquer this puny planet for sure."_

Bardock shook his head lightly. He did not want to know what will happen next.

Raditz was concerned. "Father, are you all right?"

Bardock snapped back to reality. "Yeah, just leave me alone for a while."

At Snake Way, Goku's journey was just the beginning.

"Achoo!" Goku sneezed and rubbed his nose. Taking a break from flying, he decided to sprint along Snake Way. Even though Goku had a long way to go, he was not aware of the incoming evil that will soon ravage on Earth.


	14. Preparing for the Future

Episode 14

Preparing for the Future

Bardock and Raditz had finally arrived to Kame House, but Raditz was hesitant to go.

"What's wrong?" Bardock asked hastily.

Raditz hid himself. "I can't reveal myself; not after the things I've done."

"What's in the past, it's in the past. Now, we need to warn everyone about the two new threats that will soon come to Earth," Bardock said.

However, his eldest son continued to hide. His face was awfully ashamed and worried.

Just then, the door opened and out came Krillin, Bulma, and Master Roshi, including Gohan (who just woke up). They were happy to see Bardock again.

"Yo, Bardock, how's everything?" Krillin smiled.

"Good morning, Grandpa Bardock," Gohan laughed.

But Bardock had no time to greet them. He quickly explained everything what he and Raditz had discovered not too long ago. When he told the story, Krillin, Bulma, and Master Roshi were at deep shock.

"More enemies to come? After a year has gone by?" exclaimed Krillin.

"I don't get it," Bulma cried. "It's like Earth is every bad guy's target."

"I can't believe this," Master Roshi told them. "And you're telling me these new enemies are stronger?"

Gohan felt worried again especially now that his father was not here. "Oh no..."

Bardock then inquired. "Well, have you started searching for the DragonBalls?"

Bulma shook her head. "We're about to."

"Yeah, we'll be starting after we eat breakfast," Krillin said.

"And revive Goku as soon as possible," Master Roshi added. "Whenever there's a new enemy, you always need Goku."

Bardock wondered what he meant.

"By the way, who told you about this, Bardock?" Krillin asked.

Bardock sighed silently. He knew that Goku's friends were still mad about Raditz, but he should tell them that his son had already changed. The only concern was if they would believe him.

"Raditz, come here," Bardock said.

Everyone felt their stomachs twist.

"Did you just say 'Raditz?'" Bulma almost yelled. "He's the one who told you?"

Finally, Raditz emerged from the shadows. His face was still awfully mortified. He felt he wanted to run away right now.

Krillin felt his anger burning up. He felt he could explode in any second and fight Raditz just to project all his frustration to him. "Raditz! Wha-what are you doing here?"

Gohan trembled. "It's the bad guy!"

Raditz though tried to talk and have them believe he was already a good person. "Please, let me explain. I've already changed. I've realized my mistakes. I-"

However, Krillin interrupted him. He did not believe him one bit. "Why should I? You killed your own brother! My best friend! Why should I believe you?"

As they stayed silent for a moment, Master Roshi took the time to observe Raditz. He used his senses to feel Raditz's life force. Surprisingly, he did not feel any evil aura from him. He only felt goodness in his heart, his repentance, and his sincerity.

"I sense, Raditz _did_ change," Master Roshi spoke.

"What? How could you say that?" Krillin asked with fury.

"Relax, Krillin. Can't you feel his energy?" the wise, elderly man asked.

Krillin cooled down a little and looked back at Raditz. When he concentrated more to only feel the Saiyan's energy and his mind, the monk warrior finally sensed his good energy in him.

"You're right," Krillin realized.

Nevertheless, despite of the little change in the energy, the monk warrior was still angry. He still did not believe he fully changed. He needed time to think about it. He needed more time before he could put his trust in Raditz.

Raditz was relieved, yet still sad to hear his response.

"I'll keep an eye on him if I have to," Krillin turned his back from him.

The Saiyan sighed, but he guessed he deserved it.

Then, a sudden deep tone of voice echoed in the skies. "So, there are more new threats coming to Earth, huh?"

As they all least expected it was Piccolo again.

Krillin backed away a bit. "Piccolo? Again?"

Bulma trembled in deep horror. "Piccolo? Why does he have to be here? Gosh, the past few days have been too crazy! All I want is a nice vacation!"

Piccolo slowly landed on the sands.

Bardock turned to the green creature. "What brings you here, Piccolo?"

Piccolo explicated that he had heard what was going to happen in the future after hearing the conversation that was transmitted to Raditz's scouter.

Raditz was amazed. "You could hear all of that, even from a far distance?"

"My ears do more than you think," Piccolo spat a bit. "Anyway, Raditz, you said these comrades of yours are stronger than any of us combined, correct?"

"Most likely," replied Raditz seriously. "I've been with them since our home planet was destroyed. Even though I always train hard, they always surpass me. My comrades are elites. You can't underestimate them."

Master Roshi felt confused. "What should we do now? I could help, but I'm too frail and old!"

"Gosh, what will happen to me this time? I never even have a girlfriend!" Krillin stomped angrily.

Bardock never imagined he would actually stay on Earth and help Goku's friends. His original goal was to venture out to find Frieza and have his revenge on him, but it seemed like his own faith was leading him to Earth instead. Was he meant to find Frieza and beat their terrible emperor still? The events that were occurring at this very moment, were they more than just accidents and coincidences? What can these meant? Bardock thought he should just go with the flow and find out.

He then thought there was only one solution to their problems. "In order to surpass their incredible speed and strength, we need to train a lot. Training is the only thing that will enhance our skills and release our potential inside. At least we can do that…until Kakarot arrives."

When he spoke the last sentence, the volume of his voice became a whisper. In reality, he had seen visions of Goku fighting Raditz's comrades. These visions were all a blur now since they had been a long time he saw them. He wondered if he would see those apparitions again.

Piccolo stared at Gohan intently. He could feel the hidden power inside of Gohan's heart. He continued to recall that one event where he delivered significant damage to Raditz; if the young child would try hard enough, his potency will unlock as one.

At the Otherworld, inside of a miniature-sized restaurant, they were, obviously, dead people eating. At one corner, there was the same man who escorted Goku to Snake Way. He was having a brief conversation with an alive, old lady who seemed to be the kind of creature who can travel to different dimensions, including the spiritual world. The old lady had pink, bob-cut styled hair. She was very short and she wore a black hat. She was also sitting on a glassy orb.

"And sir Goku said to bring him to life with the DragonBalls after a year. He also said that he owes you one. You got the information, Fortuneteller Baba?" the employee asked.

"Yes, I got everything," Baba said. "Now I shall report this news to one of my trustworthy servants."

Fortuneteller Baba is, shockingly, Master Roshi's sister. For 500 years, she had always used her crystal ball to tell someone's future. Anyone can ask her to foretell his or her future, but the pay is about ten million zeni. The alternative way to have your future told was to fight Baba's five martial artist experts in her palace.

Meanwhile in Snake Way, Goku ran and hurried like crazy.

"Gosh! This road seems to take forever!" Goku breathed heavily, "but I got to get to King Kai as soon as possible!"

While Goku was still unaware of the danger ahead, his friends down on Earth will soon face the worse.

"I can't believe this is happening to us," Bulma feared and dreaded. "Everybody's lives are at stake, and they have no clue what's going to happen in the future."

When Bardock heard the word "future," he could feel his mind about to give him more visions.

Out in the horizons, another car was moving towards them. It was Yajirobe. "Yo," Yajirobe said after parking his car.

Krillin came up to him. It had been a long time since he saw him so it was a little hard to remember his name. "Hey, I know you. Itchy-roby, right?"

"It's Yajirobe, idiot!" Yajirobe corrected him. "You did that on purpose."

"Sorry 'bout that," Krillin laughed a bit. "So whatcha doing here, Yajirobe?"

"Kami says to get everybody to his tower. He heard that two evil fighters will be coming to Earth sooner or later. That sucks," Yajirobe complained. "So you heard me. Get everybody!"

"Everybody to Kami's tower? But why?" Krillin asked.

"So we can get some offensive training to ready ourselves. So get your butts movin'. I'll meet ya'll there," Yajirobe demanded. He then turned to Bardock and said, "Bardock, he wants you and Raditz to come along as well. He thinks ya'll be a great help for this coming battle."

Bardock and Raditz were quite surprised to hear that, but they were more than happy to oblige. Besides, it had been a long time since they trained, so this will be the perfect opportunity to smooth out and home their fighting skills. They also wondered if they could learn ant new martial arts, similar to what Goku learned during his days on Earth.

Yajirobe was about to leave Kame House until he remembered something. "Oh yeah, Fortuneteller Baba also told me something."

"Baba?" Master Roshi stepped forward. "That's my sister. What did she say?"

"Nothin' much. She said that Goku wants to be brought back to life by the DragonBalls after a year instead," Yajirobe delivered the message.

"What? Kakarot!" Bardock said.

Master Roshi had no idea why Goku would say such a thing. "Did she tell you the reason?"

"Nope," the obese fighter said, almost calmly. Yajirobe then looked at Raditz. The word had already spread that Raditz was the one who exterminated Goku, his own brother. Like Krillin, he felt some hatred towards him. However, Kami informed him that Raditz had finally changed in heart. Nevertheless though, Yajirobe still needed time to trust the Saiyan.

"But we need him here!" Bulma cried. "You cannot fight in a battle without Goku around. Goku is the strongest fighter ever yet! Goku always knows what to do in situations like this."

Bardock looked at Bulma with curiosity. It seemed like his youngest son was very popular here on Earth.

Yajirobe rubbed his nose. "Well, can't do anything about it. You should listen to Goku still. He's your best friend, y'know. Catch ya'll up later."

He went back inside his hovering vehicle, started the engine, and zoomed off to get to Kami's tower.

Bardock folded his arms and stared at the sands. He said in his mind, _"Why? Why does Kakarot want to stay in the Otherworld for a year? Is he doing something?"_

He then gazed at the skies. At least, after a year, Goku would be here before the fight begins.

"All right, let's inform everybody," Krillin said, "and that includes Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha. We need to notify them about this news. As for Goku…well…I hope he knows what's happening down on Earth."

"That's right," Raditz decided to speak. "He needs to know there'll be an incoming battle."

Everyone was ready to go until Gohan was remembered. Everyone had no idea what to do with this innocent child. He could be taken care of by his grandfather; however, Raditz and Piccolo remembered Gohan's hidden potential. Although it was short and only a glimpse, it astonished the both of them. The Saiyan and the green creature wondered if he could be a great help for this upcoming fight.

_"But he's too young,"_ Raditz thought. _"Then again, he's a half-Saiyan after all."_

Piccolo made a straightforward decision. "I'll train the boy."

Bardock became alert. He recalled that, when Goku was still on Earth, his son told him specifically that Piccolo was one of his major enemies, and his ultimate goal was to beat Goku and rule over the world to realize his father's wishes.

Krillin worriedly asked him. "No way! You're still a bad guy, aren't you?"

"Shut up. I know what I'm doing," Piccolo spat.

Krillin pointed at the green creature. "I know! You're gonna eat him!"

Piccolo jerked his head and defended, "I'm not! Goku's son is the one that holds the faith of Earth. I can sense his hidden potential inside of him, but he needs a lot of extra training in order to release his latent power. Do you hear that, boy?"

Gohan looked up at the mysterious alien. He could not say anything. He was not sure if he was ready for this battle. He was only a four-year-old kid. How could he possibly have the power to fight?

"Whether you like it or not, you must be trained," Piccolo growled and continued. "Without you, the Earth will be conquered by ominous creatures. You want that?"

The young boy backed away a bit. He was frightened by the creature's short temper.

Bardock glimpsed at Piccolo, then to Gohan. He continued to remember what Goku told him about Piccolo. The alien was definitely right, but he must face the reality: Gohan was too young to be trained under Piccolo given that the alien was very stern. Bardock could already tell. His grandson would not last a day being trained by Piccolo; not until the young boy receives the first basic steps of martial arts. Bardock thought that Gohan could be taught under Piccolo after he gets enough basic knowledge about fighting and after Gohan would get rid of his "crybaby" attitude. Bardock could already predict that the alien's training could be very rough, and it can only be endured only by those who were as tough as Piccolo himself. Besides, Bardock had a little lack of trust in the alien since Piccolo still had that "taking-over-the-world" goal in his head. It may be unwise to let Gohan be taught under Piccolo for the time being.

"Piccolo," Bardock finally said. "I know that Gohan has great power inside, but I'll train him…for now."

Piccolo's eyes twitched. "What are you saying? You don't trust me then?"

"No, it's not that. I just think Gohan needs to train with us first," explained the Saiyan. "After he gets the proper training," he then chuckled a little, "and when he gets rid of his crybaby-ness, then I'll let you train him."

The alien snorted and said, "Don't be so modest. I know. You don't trust me because you think I'm still a bad guy, right? Feh, after knowing about the threats that will come to ravage Earth? It seems like I need to team up with you guys, just like I teamed up with Goku last time. I will never allow these enemies take over the world 'cause it's my duty to do that. Times like these, I feel there's…" Piccolo paused for a moment and then chuckled. "Huh, what am I saying?"

Bardock did not comment, nor did anyone.

"That's fine. I respect your decision," Piccolo said. "If you're ready, you can leave Gohan to me."

Without any further delay, Piccolo took wing and vanished under the skies, and immediately started his training.

Krillin was a bit baffled. "Man, for a second there, I began to think Piccolo was on our side, but at the same time, he still wants to conquer the world. Piccolo can be very confusing. Well, I guess I'm hearing things again."

"He may be on our side or on the neutral side," Raditz said.

Bardock approached Gohan. He knelt down and faced him. "Hey. So, do you agree to train with us then?"

Gohan gulped hard again. He had no idea what to say. Will it be too much for him? If he would ever agree to this offer, will it benefit him in the future or will it only just make his head ache for days? All he wanted was to stay home, have a normal life, and study like his mother wanted him to, but after hearing about the enemies that will soon come to Earth, should he train with his father's friends in order to save his own world? Sometimes, the young boy could not almost believe he was thinking like a matured person already.

"I'm not sure," Gohan replied timidly. "I'm only four. I'm still a kid. I don't know how to fight."

Bardock sighed silently. He gazed at the shimmering waters surrounding Kame House. He then nodded. "Well, it's still your choice, Gohan. It's okay if you want to stay home, but the reason why we want you train with us is because we think you can…a great fighter inside. We think you can save the world, including your own family, when you receive the proper training; and of course, if you believe in yourself."

Gohan's eyes suddenly glistened as if he was inspired. He thought about that thought for a while.

"How can I explain this to Mommy?" the boy then asked.

"Don't worry, Gohan," smiled Bulma and patted his hair. "I'll explain everything to your mom about this matter. In the meantime, perhaps Mr. Bardock is right. I think you have great potential, Gohan. You are the son of Goku after all."

She was right. Goku was the strongest fighter in the world. There was something about Gohan's father that always made Gohan believe he will always stay safe as long he was by his side. If he were to become his father only for this one battle, he may just succeed and be able to save everyone here on Earth.

Gohan gave a wide beam. His tail swished back and forth. "Okay! I'll train with Grandpa Bardock!"

"All right, good decision, Gohan," Bardock said.

"What about studies though?" Gohan asked in return. "My mom will be mad if I slack off from my assignments."

Bardock folded his arms and started to think. "Hmm, perhaps between break intervals, you could work on your homework and such in your free time."

"Yep, that's a good idea!" Gohan agreed eagerly.

Then again, Bardock thought it was also good to train your brain, not only your brawn.

"Okay," Krillin said. "I'll quickly go get your textbooks while you, Bardock, and Raditz head to Kami's Tower. Bardock, you know where Kami's Tower is, right?"

"Yeah," Bardock nodded. "Not too far from here and I already know what it looks like."

Once they situated themselves, Krillin used good speed to get to Mount Paozu as fast as he could so he could get Gohan's books and assignments. Bardock, Raditz, and Gohan went ahead to Kami's Tower.

At the very top of Earth, there stood Kami's Tower. Only the ones who were strong-willed and persistent people were able to reach it.

Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yajirobe were already there. When they arrived, Kami immediately gave them the news about what happened to Goku, but reassured them he will come back after a year by wishing him back with the DragonBalls. Next, Kami talked to them about the future.

"I am grateful to have you here today," Kami said. "For those who haven't known, two new enemies will be coming to Earth and would try to conquer it. We are now here to stop them for the sake of our whole world. We are going to train persistently the body, mind, and soul in order to bring them to defeat."

"Huh, I could beat the heck out of them," Yamcha was a bit overconfident.

"Now, try not to be too cocky," Kami reminded him. "You have to stay calm and focus on this training. You only have one year so use this time to practice wisely."

Yamcha nodded.

"Well, I'm sure this battle wouldn't be a problem. As long Goku will be here, we should be fine," Tien said.

"That's true," Kami said, "but we can't always rely on someone else to finish the job. Sometimes, you're all alone in this world and may have to face something nasty. That is where you apply your training into real combat."

"Right," Tien said.

It was then Bardock, Raditz, Krillin, and Gohan had finally arrived. Krillin explained to Kami about Gohan's textbooks and assignments loaded in his arms. He also explained that Gohan had agreed to train with them. He will learn only the basic fighting skills and methods before he goes training with Piccolo. Gohan may need special training, so Piccolo may be the perfect instructor for him.

When the rest of the Z-fighters had their eyes set on Raditz, hatred grew in them.

"What, Raditz, what are you doing here?" Yamcha asked angrily.

"That's right. I thought you're the one who killed Goku," Tien stepped in. "You're supposed to be out of this planet."

"Wait!" Raditz tried to defend himself. "It's not what you think! I'm here to-"

Before the argument became worse, Kami instantly balked their meaningless fight.

"Silence! What's in the past, it's already in the past," Kami held his crutch tightly. "I've already told you that Goku will come back after a year. For now, we must focus on training ourselves for the future. If we only focus on our hatred and our lack of trust for each other, then our training will be meaningless. Do you understand?"

Yamcha looked at Raditz. He and his friends had been told that Raditz had changed. Like Krillin and Yajirobe, they needed more time to trust the older brother of Goku.

Kami held his wooden crutch. "Our training session will begin now."

The first training session required every fighter to have their warm-ups first. Some went on to practicing their moves, some decided to stretch and do a bit of sit-ups and push-ups, while others were being monitored with their training.

Yamcha delivered rapid punches, which gave out winds from his fists. Tien worked out his legs in which he performed several kicks in air devoid of stopping. Krillin did some push-ups using one arm only and switching to another arm after each set. There was Yajirobe who decided to practice his sword skills, but at the same time, eating some chicken (he always loved to eat whenever he trained).

Chiaotzu was briefly training with Mr. Popo. The genie wanted to see how the young child fights. He was quite impressed with his moves.

"Hyah, hyah!" Chiaotzu gave rapid punches.

Mr. Popo evaded every move and said, "That's good. Keep them coming."

Bardock was also training by himself. His fighting skills were already beyond the roof. Sometimes, he would put on a spectacular show, which made everyone look at him for a second as they were astonished by his incredible speed and strength.

Kami was real impressed. _"My, what a great warrior he is. He is like Goku."_

While Kami occasionally observed how Bardock fights, he began his training tutorials for Gohan.

"All right, Gohan," Kami said. "Are you ready for your first lesson?"

Gohan nodded. "I am."

"Good. Our first lesson is basic punching and kicking. Now, show me a good punch."

"Like this…?" Gohan drew his arm back and punched straight, but he almost lost balance. "Woah!"

Kami laughed a little. "That's a nice start. When punching, remember, only your arm does the work, but move your shoulder as well, but don't let your entire body be drawn with the movement of your fist. Understand?"

"Yes," Gohan bowed and did it one more time. This time, he gave a small yell and delivered another straight punch. He did better this time. Kami could almost feel the force of his fist. The young boy did not know, but the Guardian of Earth could already feel the boy's hidden potential.

Raditz watched the fighters including his own father practicing on their own. He then gazed at the skies and thought about Goku one more time. The older brother decided to prove to everyone that he had changed in heart. He wanted to stay on Earth because he wanted to save the planet's future from the two enemies that will come to it.

"Rargh!" Raditz threw a rigorous punch. He had finally begun his training.

The Z-fighters and the Saiyans prepared themselves for the battle in the future.


	15. First Lessons

Episode 15

First Lessons

Few days had gone by. It was night. Kami's chamber was enough to give all the Z-fighters and the Saiyans accommodation including food and bed, so instead of going back to their own homes to sleep, they can simply stay at Kami's Tower until when the fight comes after a year.

While Gohan lay in his own bed, he thought about his father for a moment. How he missed him so much. He was relieved to know that he will come back after a year. "Daddy…" he whispered. He could not sleep somehow. There were so many things going on for one day, but he knew that in time, his stress and confusion will all pass. Eventually, all of this would make sense especially for a four-year-old kid like him.

Bardock was the only one awake. He was outside of Kami's chamber. He was leaning on one of the chamber's pillars, and he was staring at the dark skies. He wondered where Goku was right now. He then stared once more at his ring. He remembered his beloved lover again. The Saiyan weakly smiled.

"Huh…if only I could-"

"Father?" a familiar voice said.

Bardock turned around. Underneath the darkness and coldness of the night, it was his eldest son. Bardock nodded and said, "Hey."

"Why are you doing up so late?" Raditz approached him slowly, but gave him some distance.

Bardock gazed again at the stars. "Nothing. Just, y'know, I want to be alone for a while."

Raditz nodded in understanding. The two Saiyans stayed silent for a while. Since Kami's Tower was high up in the clouds, even surpassing some, they frequently hear the whistling of the winds. It felt like being top of the world. Everything up at Kami's Tower was always a bird's eye view.

"Hey, Dad?" Raditz cut off the silence.

Bardock did not say anything, but listened.

"Would Kakarot forgive me after we revive him back with the DragonBalls?" Raditz asked him.

Bardock chuckled heavily. "Heh, heh, you're still stuck on that? I'm sure he will. You doubt too much."

The eldest son though was very qualm. "Will he understand though?"

Bardock weakly grinned; as if his son did not believe in what he was saying. "I'm sure he knows you didn't mean to. You were out of your mind before."

Raditz looked down at the stoned floors.

"Kakarot…before he died," Bardock began, "told me he believes you can change. Apparently, you did. Kakarot only wanted that to happen. You granted his wish, Raditz. He'll be happy as soon as he sees you as a changed man."

Raditz then smiled. He gazed at the starry skies also. "I know he will. I know."

"You should get back to sleep," Bardock said to his son.

"Okay," agreed Raditz. "All this training makes me wanna rest."

"All right, 'night, Raditz; I'll sleep as well once I'm done taking some fresh air."

"All right, g'night, Father."

Raditz headed back inside the chamber and slept peacefully to ready himself for another day of training.

Million of miles away from Earth, from other neighboring planets, and into another universe, two Saiyan space pods were traveling within the perpetual darkness of outer space. The Saiyan space pods were extremely heavy-duty that whenever they hit a meteorite, the pods instantly destroy it without a single scratch on them. In return, the collision between the pod and the asteroid will create a piercing, loud roar though, but the Saiyan pod had some sort of a material that reflects any kind of sound, whether the volume be low or high, to keep the pod's interior, where the pilot was, very quiet.

Inside one of the two Saiyan pods, a man was sleeping inside. His facial attributes were fine and handsome, but deep within his appealing face were intentions of seeking immortality and rule over the universe. Already, at first glance, his face looked dangerous.

"_Vegeta, can you hear me?"_

He opened his eyes when his speaker turned on.

"What is it, Nappa? You disturbed my sleep," Vegeta said.

"_Sorry about that. I just wanted to ask, how many miles have we covered already?"_

Vegeta checked his spaceship controls and said, "Approximately a thousand miles."

"_Not bad."_

"We just started departure just three hours ago. It's not that long ago, so don't ask me that question again after a next week or so. Besides, you have the information in your _own_ ship, am I right?"

"_Oh yeah, you're right. Heh, heh, sorry, Prince."_

Vegeta was one of Raditz's former comrades. He wore the same armor as Raditz wore only Vegeta's armor had a different color variation: yellow shoulder plates and white breast plates. The prince also wore a blue jumpsuit along with white gloves and boots. He additionally wore a red scouter on his left eye. Vegeta came from royal bloodline because he was the son of a king, thus everyone respectably titling him as the "Prince of all Saiyans." Like Raditz, he was one of the Saiyan survivors. He was only a kid when the Saiyans' home planet was destroyed. He was kept in the overlord Frieza's spaceship for safety. Vegeta could be the strongest Saiyan alive. His name and his moves were feared by those who had already witnessed the prince's extraordinary powers. When he was a kid, he already displayed brutal potent and skills. He can take on an army of warriors, about a hundred or so, and he can take them out in minutes without breaking a sweat. He will further extend this phenomenal strength after he gets his wish for immortality.

Next was Vegeta's right-hand man, Nappa. He was bald, tall, and also had the same type of Saiyan armor Raditz wore only Nappa's armor consisted of yellow and black. He did not wear any jumpsuit, but black trunks. He had fingerless gloves on along with black boots, as well as a purple scouter. Unlike Vegeta, who always appeared calm and very quiet, Nappa was a brute, oafish warrior. His favorite hobby was to engage someone in a fight and ensuring he will win no matter what. Nappa had been serving Vegeta since the prince was only a child, and so together, they developed some strong companionship. From time to time though, Vegeta's pride and obstinate attitude always had Nappa obeying his orders whether he liked it or not. It may be irritating sometimes, but Nappa knew better than to find fault in a person who he had been serving for years.

Meanwhile on Earth, Piccolo was meditating near a waterfall. Its serene, calm wave splashing eased the mind of the alien. Before Piccolo began any intensive training that will involve a lot of work and combination of moves, Piccolo always undergo contemplation to loosen up his nerves and to also restore the natural flow of energy inside his body. This will ensure him that if he was ready to train any time, his mind and body would be all set to go.

Piccolo had been meditating for straight ten hours, just staying still and not moving a muscle. Occasionally, he may open his eyes to make sure no enemy was stalking him. Then, he would go back to deep meditation.

The night seemed silent today with no night animals making a sound or lingering around. Piccolo could only hear the waterfall behind him. The sounds of it were so harmonious that the alien could be lost for days just listening to its peaceful tune.

Piccolo opened his eyes again. He looked around and thought about Gohan. "I hope the boy is getting proper training. His hidden strength is worth using for the battle that will soon come to Earth. I also wonder what Goku is also doing right now."

Goku, to his disappointment, still had a long way to go. Even though the weight of fatigue was getting into him, Goku continued to sprint along Snake Way. He will not stop until he was certain he had covered a great distance; at least a goal of covering halfway of Snake Way. If he accomplished that, then he would reward himself with a long break.

"Gohan!" Goku huffed and breathed heavily. "I hope you're doing well down on Earth. Don't worry. I'll come back soon."

Bardock opened his eyes. He received a vision again. The vision was clear this time. He saw his son, Goku, training in the Otherworld. He watched how he performed his sleek moves with deep focus and power. Bardock grinned slightly. He may be the weakest Saiyan ever, but there was something about his youngest son. His real potential may not show now, but after he comes back after a year to fight Nappa and Vegeta, and perhaps for another battle after the two Saiyans, Goku could be the strongest warrior alive.

"_I've always believed in that,"_ Bardock said in his mind. _"It's a premonition. I remember. Kakarot was born with such a weak power level. I thought he was only an inferior warrior, but after I received this gift, the gift of seeing the future, I was proven wrong."_

He gazed at the skies once again. This time, he advanced forward until he was at the middle of the platform of Kami's Tower. He observed at the constellations of the stars. Some of the position of the stars made a picture, while some actually told an ancient story or myth.

"_Kakarot, you'll turn out to be something great,"_ Bardock then smiled.

The next early morning, the ones who came out first were Kami, Mr. Popo, and Krillin. They were always the early birds. In the horizon was the sun raking in. The atmosphere was calm, quiet, it was the perfect time to get up and just have a relaxing time.

Krillin yawned and stretched out his arms. "Another day, huh? What are we going to do today, Kami?"

Kami came forward with his crutch. "Today, we will continue with our training from yesterday. Then, I'll be teaching you some new techniques."

"Cool!" Krillin exclaimed. "It should help us for the battle that will come soon. How was Gohan's training, by the way?"

Kami smiled. "He has a lot of potential. Training him reminded me of the time when I trained Goku when he was young. Gohan is a very gifted child. He may not know it yet, but he will soon."

Krillin sighed in relief. "That's good news. Once Gohan's power is released, we'll have no problem facing those two new threats. Gosh, I feel better already!"

The monk warrior then noticed someone sleeping beside the entrance of the chamber. Curiously, he took a look and noticed it was Bardock, sleeping peacefully. His head was rested on the pillar, his arms on his legs while his legs were stretched out in front of him.

Krillin chuckled. "Hah, hah, Bardock must've done some secret training while we're asleep," he then went on to wake him up. He shook him gently. "Hey, Bardock, rise and shine. It's morning."

Bardock though continued to sleep. The Saiyan's stomach then suddenly growled. It meant he was hungry.

"He must be dreaming about food," Krillin laughed again. He then teased Bardock a little. "Hey, Bardock, it's breakfast time! We're serving some bacon and eggs!"

As the magic words were spoken, Bardock woke up. He rubbed his eyes and then started to hastily look from right to left. He swore he heard breakfast calling him.

"Where-where's breakfast?" Bardock said. "Is it time? I'm starving!"

Krillin placed his hands on his hips. _"I knew that always works. He's the father of Goku, which means they must have the same appetite. Heh, heh!"_

Once the Z-warriors took baths to refresh themselves, ate breakfast, the training session resumed. But first, before the Z-fighters, Bardock, and Raditz train, Kami had asked them to spend at least an hour a day to give Gohan any pointers, suggestions, and advices on how to improve his fighting skills. Everyone would watch the young boy while Gohan displayed his skills.

"All right, Gohan. Show us what you can do," Kami encouraged.

Everyone was in a circle. Raditz was at the back of everyone though.

Gohan first bowed to Kami, then to everyone. He then started his display what he learned yesterday from the Guardian of Earth.

"Hyah, hyah!" Gohan slowly, but surely gave punches. Then, he did some kicks. He first did two front kicks before going for a sudden, and fast, turning sidekick.

Yamcha was most impressed. "Wow, just a day and he's learning to be a fighter already!"

The young boy then performed some palm-strikes along with high punches. His speed went from slow to suddenly fast. He then moved on to do some airborne moves. He jumped as high as he could to deliver an uppercut, following with a strong, high front kick.

Bardock crossed his arms. Even a boy at a young age, he was already showing to everyone he had great potential. He was a half-Saiyan after all. He did see one flaw though.

"Gohan, your moves are great," Bardock started, "but remember, you have to keep your hands up and close to your body. You need to be always on defense in case your opponent somehow finds the chance to counter."

Gohan stopped for a moment and smiled. "Okay, Grandpa Bardock."

Bardock was taken aback a bit. Even though his grandson only met him just a few weeks ago and they barely knew each other yet, he was calling him his grandfather as if Gohan was already associated with him. Bardock felt happy inside though.

Obeying what his grandfather told him to do, Gohan now kept his arms up while he continued to display his moves. Again, Gohan did some airborne attacks. What also impressed the Z-warriors was how Gohan can perform his moves flawlessly while in air. The young boy had good flexibility.

"Hyah!" Gohan jumped in air. He first did a sidekick. While he was still in air, quick as he can, he then did a spinning roundhouse kick.

Chiaotzu clapped his hands. "Yay, Gohan!"

The young warrior felt proud inside. He did not know that fighting could be this good. At least he was getting some exercise. He still did not understand though the true meaning behind fighting. Gohan still thought that fighting was quiet meaningless. He was only learning martial arts because he needed to help his friends and family save the Earth from the two evil forces that will soon arrive.

When Gohan touched the floor, he was about to perform another set of moves, but he accidentally lost balance.

"Woah!" and he fell flat on his face.

"Ack!" everyone was concerned about him.

Tien asked, "Gohan, are you all right?"

The young boy looked up. They were no red marks or bruises on his face, but that fall hurt him so. He sat and tears were starting to come out from his eyes.

"Ow, that hurt," Gohan sniffed. He tried to hold the tears back so he would not embarrass himself in front of all of his friends, family, and his teacher, but it hurt so bad, he just wanted to cry.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the boy. Gohan sniffed one more time and turned around to realize it was Raditz behind him. The Z-warriors were alerted that they instantly stood up and, by instincts, prepared to battle because they still saw Raditz as an enemy.

Gohan became very frightened that he could not speak at all.

"Gohan," Raditz softly spoke.

The young boy gulped hard. He was afraid if Raditz might do anything to him, but he saw the look in his eyes. It appeared they have sympathy in them.

"Hey," Raditz then knelt down and helped Gohan get up from his knees. "You did great, but no tears. Come on, it's just a lousy fall."

Gohan trembled as he spoke. "Yeah, bu-but it hurt," he said while touching his face.

"It's nothing," reassured the quiet Saiyan. "You'll get used to it. When it comes to fighting, you have to be tough."

Gohan, still touching his face, nodded in understanding.

Raditz then turned away from the others and said, "Keep up the good work," after that, he walked away from the rest and decided to train by himself.

Krillin tilted his head to the side. "Raditz?"

Bardock glimpsed at his son. He knew he was trying to prove he was already a changed man to everyone.

Kami cut the silence and decided to speak about their next objective. "Well, I guess we're done for today. Everyone, please resume your training. Gohan, let's continue to train, shall we?"

The Z-fighters all split up and trained by themselves. Yajirobe and Krillin though decided to spar with each other to test out their skills, though Krillin had to always get Yajirobe's focus since he was busy eating his chicken wing.

Kami turned to Gohan. "So Gohan how was your training yesterday? Was it difficult?"

Gohan shook his head. "Not really. It's quiet easy."

"Well, we're just teaching you the basics, but once we're done with the fundamentals, the level of training gets harder. Are you ready?" Kami asked.

The young warrior just nodded, but he was not so sure what to expect.

"After you're done with basic punching and kicking, you will be learning how to take flight."

"Flight? But it's too high and could even be dangerous! I mean I saw Mr. Krillin and Grandpa Bardock do it, but I'm not so sure if I should do it too."

Kami only chuckled at the words of the boy. "Yes, it may seem hard, but it's actually easy. All you have to do is to put your energy underneath you. Then, concentrate real hard and let the energy lift you."

Gohan tilted his head and asked what energy is.

The green, wrinkled creature smiled. "That's exactly what we're going to learn next. Now, first step. Perform basic punching."

The young boy nodded. He prepared in his fighting stance and did a one-two punch consecutively. Kami watched the force of his fists. It was not enough.

"Your punching must be firm and must not be weak. Try again."

The boy this time put some power in his fists. When he punched, light winds were heard and felt in air. Kami nodded.

"That's splendid! Keep on doing that."

The son of Goku kept doing it. At last, it finally accrued to a point where Gohan had put enough power in his fists that might inflict significant damage if he were to face an opponent now in his level.

"Now, next, combine punching and kicking," Kami said.

Gohan then put his fists and feet into practice. Not forgetting to put power into his attacks, Kami could already feel the force that was being released from the boy's hits. Already, the Guardian of Earth was very impressed. Gohan had a lot of potential. Of course, he was the son of Goku after all.

Gohan did the same process for straight two hours. He repeatedly had to take breaks between training intervals. Kami understood this since he was only a child, but if he gets used to it, his student can frequently practice with little or no breaks. After two hours were up, Gohan literally collapsed on the floor, tired and exhausted.

"That's a lot!" Gohan breathed heavily. He slowly sat up and drank a lot of water from his water bottle.

"You're doing great, Gohan," encouraged Kami. "You're already mastering the basics. You can move on to the next level after this."

"Really?" Gohan smiled a wide beam. "I didn't know I'm actually off to a good start."

"Now, while you're resting, let me teach you a little bit about of energy," Kami said.

"Oh yeah, I was about to ask about that," Gohan scratched his head happily.

Kami held his crutch. "Energy is simply the vigor inside of your body. Every living thing has one inside of him or her. In fact, we use energy everyday in our lives. We use it when working, walking, running, or other physical activities. However, this energy I will be teaching you is different. This is the energy you will be using during combat. Yes, you use it while you're punching and kicking, but in this world, you will be facing a lot of strong enemies that are beyond human. They are supernatural beings. The two new threats that will soon come to Earth are actually aliens from a different planet. These enemies use their own energy to literally turn it into a driving-powered, visible ball, or some form or shape, of energy. Every person has a different kind of energy inside of them. It is up to the user how he or she will use it."

Gohan remembered the time where his father Goku fought against the once-evil Raditz before. While he was confined in Raditz's space pod, he remembered witnessing bright dazzling lights in the skies and, including what Kami was talking about now, "energy" coming out from the fighters's bodies. Gohan remembered hearing his father chanting the words "Kamehameha," and a beam of energy will come out from his palms and inflict damage to his opponent. Gohan had to admit. He had never seen such a sight before. It was like living in a fantasy world where impossibilities exist. He thought such a thing could never subsist, but Gohan knew he had a lot more to learn about this world.

Kami continued to speak. "Now judging by your skills Gohan, you have the right potential to actually bring some of that energy out and form it into some kind of fighting power. Here's a brief demonstration."

The aged creature held his crutch tighter. He closed his eyes in deliberation and then pointed his finger at an open space. With one yell, Kami suddenly blasted a thin laser beam from the tip of his finger. The beam traveled to many miles away, into the skies, and it eventually disappeared.

Gohan was shocked and impressed. He had never seen such a show up close.

For Kami though, since he was too old, it was hard for him to even bring out his energy. "You see, Gohan? You will be doing that soon once we're done with the fundamentals. For now, I would just like to teach you how to bring some of that energy out."

The young boy felt frightened for a moment. This energy business seemed difficult. It could also be painful too, but maybe that was just his mind playing silly thoughts on him.

"Now," Kami then sat down with his student, "I want you to sit still and clear your mind of everything that might distract you in anyway."

Gohan tried to sit still and think of nothing, but for a four-year-old kid like him, it proved to be a challenge. His mind was currently everywhere the place because he always thought about his studies, his mom and dad, and about the threat that will come to Earth soon.

Kami noticed the boy was struggling. He decided to give him another demonstration.

"Okay, check this out, Gohan," said Kami.

Kami held out his right palm and he stood still for a second. He closed his aged eyes. With a little sweat coming out from his wrinkled face, he gave a grunt and suddenly, brought out a faint but bright ball of energy on the top of his right hand. Gohan sat in complete awe. In the boy's heart, he suddenly felt warm and safe when he saw the light. It was more than just energy. This certain light felt it was sent down from the Heavens.

"Wow," Gohan stared at the energy in complete amazement.

"You see?" Kami asked. "You need to concentrate first, but let your mind and body fully relax. Get rid all thoughts that could distract you in any way. Then, feel the energy within you and slowly bring that energy out. Go ahead. Try it."

The young warrior sat still and tested out if he was capable of doing this. As he copied Kami's actions, Gohan gradually began to feel something inside; something that wanted to come out and release itself; however though, the young boy was stressing himself too much that the heavy weights of fatigue quickly overtook him.

"Tension will not help you bring your energy out," Kami said. "You must remain calm and tranquil."

The young boy tried to, but he was already exhausted. He breathed heavily and thought, "Oh no, I feel so tired. I'm not sure if I could do this. It's hard."

The aged creature understood the boy. He was not expecting him to succeed at such an advance level for his age. It will take quite some time for him to be able to release at least half of his potential. Kami was estimating after a month or so.

"It's okay," Kami reassured his student. "That was just a warm-up, but you're doing very well. Let yourself rest for a while and we'll continue our energy lesson tomorrow. For now, resume practicing your punching and kicking. I'll be teaching you some more helpful moves later after you're done practicing."

Gohan sat up. He looked at his current teacher and smiled at him. "Okay, thank you, Mr. Kami."

Kami nodded, and then looked at Gohan's eyes. Deep within those eyes, they reminded him of Goku. Kami could already tell that Gohan may possess equal strength like his own father, or perhaps he may even surpass his own father.


	16. Energy and Flight

Episode 16

Energy and Flight

Two weeks had passed. The Z-fighters and the Saiyans had done nothing but train to their utmost limits. Gohan was still in the process of learning how to draw his energy out. It was one of the most essential facets in order to fly. As for Raditz, he was still being ignored by the rest of the fighters, though the Z-warriors were beginning to be quite fond around the Saiyan, but time was still needed until they can finally trust Raditz.

Krillin and his friends were taking a break for a little while Gohan was solving some math problems on his textbook.

Raditz was standing behind his nephew and obviously away from everybody. He stood with his arms crossed, and he was looking at the blue skies. He then looked at Gohan to see what he was doing. After figuring out he was doing some math calculations, he curiously peeked to see what problem was he on.

"Let's see here," Gohan said to himself. "Now, take the common denominator of these two fractions."

Raditz raised a brow. This reminded him back in his home planet when he was taking some algebra classes. When Planet Vegeta was ruled by Frieza before, the overlord had required every child Saiyan to at least take the necessary math, English, and science classes, aside from learning how to fight in a combat because in missions, Saiyans would need to perform basic or sometimes, complicated math calculations, learn a planet's inhabitants, climate, and other more of its aspects, and as well as, of course, communicate well with other people and creatures from different planets. The Saiyans would continue to take these classes until they were about fifteen years old, which would be at that time that they had already finished their education and became seasoned Saiyan warriors for Frieza's army. Not that the classes were too much of a headache since Saiyan warriors were also going in and out of missions, but sometimes, they were too much work to handle. Raditz had never skipped a single class though, thanks to his father's teachings about the importance of education, yet sometimes he had to stay up almost late at night just to finish his homework.

"Aah! There we go," Gohan happily exclaimed. "I got the right answer."

"_Pretty good for a four year old kid,"_ Raditz thought.

Bardock was the only one who was training extra more than the others. He was practicing at the very center of Kami's Tower. Every punch he delivered, invincible energy came out of them. Every kick he delivered, strong winds bellowed. Bardock's fighting style was lightning fast, not everyone can anticipate his fighting moves. Only Raditz could see them since he was the son of Bardock after all.

Krillin's mouth was wide opened as he watched him. "Man, did you see all of that?

Yamcha was stretching out his arms and legs. "No way! Did you, Tien?"

"Not really," Tien replied. "Man, he's just like Goku."

"Well, you know what they say," Chiaotzu said. "Like father, like son."

Yajirobe did not comment, but instead busied himself eating red bean paste buns.

After Bardock did a slicing roundhouse kick in air, he stopped for a while to catch his breath. As he did, he stood up straight and slightly turned his head until he saw his fellow allies at the corner of his eye.

"…_what they're all staring at?"_ Bardock was feeling a bit self-conscious especially with all those eyes gawking at him. _"Whatever. I'll be finished anyway."_

Whenever Bardock trained his skills, he preferred to be alone or train with friends who had stuck with him for long. He was so used to training in isolation though that the feeling of being observed felt a little bit uncomfortable to him. At the other hand though, Bardock was living a different lifestyle now, living in a different planet, so he needed to get used to it.

Popo approached the Z-warriors to see how they were all doing. He then announced to them that it was lunch time and that all the foods were already prepared on the dining table. Everyone's faces suddenly lit up and mouths watered.

Everyone ate quickly, gulping down the delicious foods down to his stomachs while only chewing twice or thrice. Only Gohan seemed to be more mindful of his eating manners: taking little bits of it and chewing enough to swallow it down. In addition, he was still a little bit shy hanging around with Goku's friends, but he will get used to it eventually. Bardock was similar to Goku when it came to eating, but he restrained himself from eating "less politely" and tried to maintain his eating manners. Raditz was the only one who was not eating much.

"This is really good!" Krillin exclaimed.

Yamcha agreed as he gulped down a huge chunk of rice. "Yeah! Maybe next time, I should cook for you guys."

"I doubt it," Krillin said honestly.

"Oh, come on! I've been practicing for a couple days just before our training began," Yamcha said and then he scratched his cheek, "except for that one time where I totally screwed up on that one appetizer..."

"Don't worry, Yamcha," Chiaotzu said. "You can learn from Mr. Popo if you like. I can also teach you on how to make noodles."

"You?" Yamcha looked at him with surprise. "You can cook?"

"Just noodles," Chiaotzu said.

Tien smiled. "I don't wanna boast, but I have to say that Chiaotzu can certainly make a good bowl of noodles."

"Oh, thanks!" Chiaotzu scratched his head happily.

Yamcha started to laugh. "I can't believe there's a kid who can cook better than me. If Bulma was here right now, I would've been very embarrassed!"

Everyone then laughed along with him, including Bardock who chuckled lightly under his breath.

Gohan then joined the conversation. "My mom is a great cook. She can cook all kinds of foods."

"Really?" Chiaotzu asked and then suggested to him, "Then maybe we could have a dinner gathering at some point at your house, Gohan, and we can all taste your mom's cooking."

"That's a great idea!" Krillin said. "To tell you the truth, I haven't really tasted any of Chi-Chi's dishes."

Yajirobe bit down a big, rotisserie chicken wing and had grease smudged all over his face. "I bet her food's better than Bulma's cooking."

"Bulma's not a bad cook either," Yamcha commented.

Everyone continued to socialize. Only Raditz kept himself quiet. What could he say in such a time of happy gathering where people still saw him as a root of evil impurity even though he was really trying his hardest to prove that he was changed man. Bardock glanced at his son and felt sorry for him.

Down on Earth's lands and mountains, where Mount Paozu resided, there was Chi-Chi in her own home, cleaning up the plates and dishes in the kitchen. Even though it was a bright, peaceful day, her heart sank in deep sadness.

"Oh, my Gohan..." Chi-Chi whispered. "Why does he have to go through all of this? He's only a little kid."

Chi-Chi continued to wonder why Gohan had to train with the other Z-warriors. She then remembered that before she left Kame House, Bulma told her that Gohan had the potential to save the world, and so the Z-warriors needed his help. It came as a shock to her because how her well-mannered, polite, shy, scholar boy could would have the power to become fierce and fight like his own father? She then started to feel angry inside because her only child had to be involved in this kind of mess. She was anxious if Gohan could handle such rigorous training. If only she did not let him...

_Crk!_

Because of her peaking anger, she accidentally broke the plate she was cleaning. She sighed and just threw it away in the garbage can. She took off her kitchen gloves and checked her hands for any scratches. There were none. Chi-Chi then turned off the faucet and looked out of her window that was front of her for a while. She knew that life must go on. Maybe for this one time, she will let her son train and become a warrior for this one battle. She hoped after a year, and when Goku comes back by the DragonBalls, she and her family can revert back to their normal lives.

"Gohan, just be safe for me, okay?" Chi-Chi said and resumed cleaning up the plates.

Close to midnight, the Z-warriors were having a good night sleep after a day of hard work and intense training. Everyone was sleeping except for Gohan who was sitting at the front entrance of Kami's headquarters. He was looking at the stars. He liked looking at them because of how beautifully they shone in the night skies to give light to the darkness.

Gohan still did not understand the meaning behind fighting though. He thought it was only kicking and punching, winning and losing. He hoped that as he further trained with Kami and the others, he too will further understanding the meaning behind fighting.

"Hmm?"

Behind Gohan was Bardock who wanted to also get outside and have some fresh air. He was surprised to see his grandson around.

Gohan turned around when he heard his footsteps. "Oh, hi, Grandpa!" he greeted him.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" he asked.

"Uh, nothing. I just wanted some fresh air," Gohan replied.

"Y'know," Bardock stood beside him, "children still need to maintain at least twelve hours of sleep."

Gohan found his grandfather to have a little humor in him. He laughed. "My mom always says that to me, but for some reason, I can't sleep tonight."

"How come?" Bardock looked at the night skies.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's because of my dad," Gohan then looked at the floor.

"Your dad?" Bardock asked, and then he pictured Goku in his head.

"Yeah, I really missed him a lot. I know that he's gonna come back, but it's still feels lonely without him with me."

Bardock said nothing this time. What he said reminded him of his own father. His father was a good father, but unfortunately, tragedy struck upon him so soon that Bardock had to lose him when he was only six years old. Though his father never really talked to him much because of his profession that kept delaying him from spending time with his family, Bardock knew he was a good-hearted person. If only he had known him better, he could have proven to everyone in the world what a great father he was.

"You..." Bardock stopped for a moment and continued, "must've hang out with him a lot, huh?"

Gohan smiled and nodded. "Every day! Whenever I need help from my homework, he's always there to help me. He also plays with me whenever I have time from my studies, and he also takes me out for nice walks outside like in the park and forest, and he teaches me all kinds of stuff."

As he continued to talk good things about his father, Bardock's expression slowly changed into a face where there was guilt written on it. He wished he was like that to his two sons, Goku and Raditz, but it was that overlord Frieza that denied him and the rest of his Saiyan people from spending time with family and friends. Bardock wondered with all of his heart if he had been a good father to both of his sons.

"Not only that, my father's the strongest warrior in the world!" Gohan exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Bardock focused his attention to him, now feeling curious what that statement meant.

Gohan began to tell a story. "I remembered one time; there was this bad guy that came before Uncle Raditz to Earth. I think his name was Garlic Junior. He came to Earth and planned to destroy it."

Bardock then sat down with him, more curious than ever to hear his story.

"But luckily, my dad, Krillin, and Piccolo came to stop Garlic Jr. and his men. When Garlic Jr. opened up this dark, scary dimension that was meant to suck everything in its path, my dad stepped in courageously and decided to fight Garlic Jr. I didn't really know what happened afterwards, but my dad told me that Garlic Jr. was trapped in the dimension he opened and that he will no longer bother us. Can't you believe it? My dad fought him single-handedly!"

Bardock stayed quiet as he was thinking, and then wanted to ask a question. "Wait, are you sure you can't remember anything when your dad confronted this so-called Garlic Jr.?"

Gohan started to think. "I can't remember since I fell to a deep sleep, but I did remember fighting him once..."

The truth was, Gohan was actually the one who finished Garlic Jr. off, but since he became unconsciousness after he trapped Garlic Jr. in the dimension called the "Dead Zone," it made him believe that it was his father who defeated the enemy instead. Not only that, when Garlic Jr. brutally injured his family and friends, Gohan's anger reached its peak and turned him into a different and violent warrior; the same incident that actually happened to Raditz. He used this glimpse of hidden power to finish Garlic Jr. off; however, when Gohan calmed down and fell to a quick sleep, it made him forget about everything.

"I'm glad that I have a strong and kind father!" Gohan continued to say. Bardock did not say anything. The only thing he thought of was that his youngest son was definitely a strong Saiyan warrior.

The hushed silence came for a while. The winds blew for a moment and then they disappeared. A few clouds covered the night skies.

Bardock switched to another topic. "How are your flight lessons?"

"I think they're going pretty good," Gohan replied while moving his feet from side to side, "but for some reason, I just can't seem to bring my energy out. I mean, I'm beginning to feel it inside of me. I just can't bring it out."

Bardock was silent for a moment and then he proposed to help him.

"You could? Really? Okay then!" Gohan jumped right from his feet. "All right, what should I do first?"

"Well," Bardock stood up first and then started towards the center of Kami's Tower. Gohan tagged along. Bardock then said, "First, you have to get rid all of your thoughts in your head. Concentration is the key."

"Including homework?" questioned the little boy.

"Well, yes. Don't think that all your math knowledge's gonna leave you if you don't think about it," the kind, yet strict Saiyan gave an eyebrow raise.

"Sorry," the boy scratched his head. He then closed his eyes and tried to relax.

_"This may be a hard task for him since he's only a little kid,"_ Bardock thought, but the positive side to his young age was that he was a half-Saiyan, meaning his brain was more developed than the average kid at his age. Bardock proceeded to lecture. "Just let it all go. Feel the energy inside of you; within your chest."

Gohan helped himself by placing his hands close to his chest so he could feel the radiating, invincible energy calling out inside of him.

Bardock crossed his arms and lifted his head. "Now, slowly bring that energy out."

"I also want to fly, too. How can I do that?" Gohan whispered.

"Then slowly transfer that energy at the bottom of your feet and let the energy float from them," Bardock replied. "Don't think. Feel. Feel your inner self. Believe in your own power. Do not...be afraid."

The young boy nodded and did everything what he told him to do. While Bardock continued to lecture him, at the same time, Gohan was trying to concentrate and relax as he tried to rid of all negative thoughts from his head and thinking of always the possibility. Gohan never thought he would train to become a seasoned fighter like his own father, especially since he was only four and a half, but Gohan had always thought he had another special talent other than his superior academic skills in school. He always thought he had some sort of potential that would enable him to fight alongside with his father through any battle without any fear or dread stopping him.

Was this new potential somewhat useful?

Yes, it had to be. Because now, Gohan may have understood why he was training with the Z-fighters; not only because they need his help for the battle that will come after a year, but they also wanted him to know that he could use this potential to support those who need it.

Bardock's eyes widened to see a form of faint energy coming out from Gohan's hands. A form of gust of winds seemed to be coming out from his feet as well.

"What the?" Bardock stuttered.

This potential, this idea of fighting, could be used to fight against evil, fight for the weak and the helpless, and most of all, fight for what was right to let peace and harmony remain in this world. All these years that was Goku was trained for, and now Gohan knew he was also being trained for the same kind of purpose.

Bardock continued to look at his grandson. His face was already sweating and struggling to release his energy, but Bardock also sensed he was close to achieving his goal.

Gohan then opened his eyes and clenched his fists hard. He bit his lip and looked down on the floor. He needed to use everything he got to bring out his energy, yet let his mind and heart remained in a tranquil state.

Fighting was not only about fighting. Fighting was what you use to shield someone or a beloved one from harm because you care about that someone, because you care about the world and all of its inhabitants who think the same way as you do.

"Rrrgh..." Gohan persisted to try harder and harder. More winds came out from his feet. Faint energy glowed from his fists. His aura started to surround him.

Bardock stood in awe. "He's doing it...!"

Finally, Gohan thought about his father and mother. He loved them both and he will try his best to protect them no matter what!

"Rargh!" Gohan gave a short yell; his face as if it changed into that different warrior again; that kind of warrior which took down Garlic Jr. and the once evil Raditz; that power which took his strength to new heights; that power in his heart that he swore he will protect everyone.

Bardock stood in pure amazement. "I can't believe it. In just a short amount of time, he's done it."

A spark of blue light ignited from his body. A few seconds later, Gohan was actually flying! He had learned to bring his energy out and also learned to fly at the same time. At first, Gohan wondered why his feet were not touching the ground. He then looked down and realized he was two inches off the floor.

"Wha-? WAAH!" he was so frightened to see this that he had completely forgotten about all his concentration and relaxation. As a result, he suddenly dropped to the floor, flat on his face. "Ouch!" he cried out while holding his cheeks and crying in pain.

"Ugh," Bardock face-palmed himself in embarrassment.

"Ow, that really hurt!" Gohan whined.

His grandfather approached him and said, "But Gohan, you actually flew!"

"I did? Wait, I actually did, didn't I? But it was so scary, just seeing your feet not touching the ground," the young warrior wailed.

"But the most important thing is that you learned how to fly," Bardock assured him. "Y'know, with that kind of fast learning, you can catch up with the rest of us."

"Really? Wow, I can't believe I'm learning how to be a warrior already!" exclaimed Gohan happily as he easily had forgotten about the pain on his face.

Gohan wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was tough work, but his face showed triumphant joy for his great accomplishment. He cannot wait to see everyone's faces tomorrow once he showed his achievement. Bardock smiled for the first time in regards to that he had helped someone after all these many years. He was once a cold, quiet warrior who did not reach out to anybody, but now he was warming up to everyone. He was actually spending some quality time with his family whom he had not seen or even came to known for many years.


	17. The Two Saiyans' Powers

Episode 17

The Two Saiyans' Powers

**Disclaimer: This chapter is similar to the episode when Nappa and Vegeta went to Planet Arlia, but with some minor changes. Just want you all to take note of that. Thank you!  
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**Enjoy!**

The next morning, when Kami began their usual daily observance of Gohan's display of fighting skills, he was curious to know that Gohan had something surprising for all of them. The Z-warriors carefully observed the young boy with Bardock the only one smiling because he already knew what the surprise was.

Gohan bended his arms to his waist and also bended his knees. With a strong power up, he began to release his energy within him. After for a while, Gohan gave a strong shout which enabled him to control his energy and thus, he began to float in air and lifted himself a few inches off the floor.

"Woah! Am I dreaming or something?" Yamcha almost shouted.

"Gohan has already learned to fly? Yay, Gohan!" Chiaotzu clapped his hands.

Krillin blinked his eyes many times. "This is unbelievable! I was only a teenager when I learned how to fly, but Gohan's only four years old!"

Tien smiled. "He definitely got Goku's genes. Just look at him."

Yajirobe gulped down real hard. "If messin' with Goku before was a pain in the butt, imagine messin' with his own kid. Sheesh."

Raditz had to say something for he was too astonished. "Truly a half-Saiyan. He's a lot stronger than I thought."

Kami and Popo were amazed as well; so amazed that they thought for once he may be stronger than Goku himself.

Kami approached his student and smiled upon his accomplishment. "Great job, Gohan! You have learned how to bring your energy out and also learned to fly. It's amazing you are able to pass these two tests in just a short amount of time as well."

Gohan relaxed his energy and landed on the floor again. He bowed to his master. "Thank you so much, Kami, but I wouldn't have done it without Grandpa Bardock."

"Oh?" Kami faced Bardock and so did the rest.

Bardock nodded. "I kinda helped him."

"I see. Well, your help was worthwhile. Thank you," Kami nodded back to him. He then said to Gohan that he was ready to move on to the next lesson and that was to convert his energy into some form or shape of visible energy that can cause damage to an opponent. Gohan gulped hard when he heard this since it sounded frightening, but he must know that this will all pass once he starts doing it.

"All right, please resume your training," Kami announced. "I will be teaching you some new techniques later on in the day, but for now, practice with one another or you can train alone."

The Z-warriors spread out while quickly praising Gohan for his achievement today.

"Hey, Yamcha," Tien caught his attention. "Wanna spar a bit?"

"Sure! I'll beat you this time!" Yamcha said, feeling confident.

"Let's see about that!" Tien defended.

Yamcha and Tien then sparred with each other. They quickly started without even have to think who should attack first. Yamcha delivered a high front kick, but Tien managed to evade it and uppercut him on the stomach. Yamcha regained his balance and they both continued to fight.

Krillin decided to take on Chiaotzu. He readied in his fighting stance. "Come on, Chiaotzu. Show me what you got."

"Okay, here I go!" Chiaotzu replied.

Yajirobe was munching on his shopao though. "I'll join ya guys later once I'm done eatin' my food."

"Man, you're always eating. Can't you train for once without thinking about food?" Krillin asked with annoyance while still keeping his focus on the fighting Chiaotzu.

"Oh, be quiet," Yajirobe demanded, not giving a care. "You gotta need energy, y'know."

"Sure," Krillin blandly said.

Bardock decided to meditate for a while before moving on into his intense training. He sat near the edge of Kami's Tower and put himself in a deep, quiet state.

Raditz stared at the other Z-warriors for a while. He felt lonely even though they were always with him every day. He gave a heavy sigh and went on to train alone like he had always done for the past weeks. Bardock somehow sensed Raditz's sadness. He glanced at him and felt sorry for his son.

Climbing up beyond Planet Earth and soaring far away from the Milky Way galaxy, Nappa's and Vegeta's spacecrafts continued to travel through the pallid stars and the vast space. They had been sitting in their spaceships for weeks and they had done nothing but sleep.

Vegeta opened his eyes. He stretched for a little bit and checked the distance traveled on his computer. He and his comrade had covered a large distance, but then again, they would have to wait for a year before they could reach their destination.

The Saiyan prince felt awfully bored. Just watching planets and stars go by made him feel sick. He wanted to do something now to get his body and mind going. He decided to talk to his comrade by speaking at his communicator in his computer. "Nappa, are you awake?"

Nappa woke up with a startled start. He yawned and replied, "I am now. What is it, Vegeta?

"I'm bored. Why not we land on some planet and get a little exercise?" suggested Vegeta who had a smirk on his face.

Nappa sneered too. "Sure. A little exercise won't hurt. Besides, we've been sitting in our ships for weeks now. Let's warm up a little."

"Tell me, where's the nearest planet?" Vegeta asked.

Nappa checked on his computer. "Let me see...oh! Lucky for us. The next planet's just one-hundred miles away."

"Good. Let's land there then."

"I hope the planet have some pretty strong inhabitants we can fight," Nappa said.

The two Saiyans waited and soon reached their destination. From the outside, the planet as a whole appeared dark, covered in black and dark purple clouds. When the Saiyans entered the atmosphere, their ships heated up immensely, and then they heavily landed on the ground, creating a heavy quake. Few seconds later, Vegeta and Nappa went out of their ships. When they stood, one could say they looked like sinister warriors no one should dare to go against.

Nappa and Vegeta gazed at the planet. There was nothing, but dark red skies, black clouds, and broken pillars and buildings.

"Not much into this place," Nappa said. He lightly touched a broken pillar and it fell into pieces. "I feel like this planet has already been finished off by another group of warriors. You think this planet could sell at a high price for the galactic markets?"

"…doubt it…" Vegeta followed a floating, small, black and purple cloud that was passing by with his eyes.

The two were silent for a while until Nappa saw something flashed ahead of them. He told his comrade to look at that direction, and when he did, what they saw seemed to be a stadium ahead. They were lights coming from the inside. They also saw little black dots coming in and out of the place. They looked like creatures, and the two Saiyans felt it was the only place that was alive and well in this planet.

"It looks like we have some survivors," Nappa said.

Vegeta started to float in air. "Or maybe this planet hasn't been invaded at all. Let's go check it out."

"Sure. I feel like there's some sort of tournament going on," Nappa said.

Both of the Saiyans flew at high speed and headed for the stadium. When they arrived, Nappa was right in saying it was a stadium, or a massive coliseum, and he was also right in saying that there was actually a tournament going on inside. Unfortunately, the gates had already been closed, keeping Nappa and Vegeta out.

"What do we do now?" Nappa asked.

Vegeta started to think and then he grinned. "In fact, I take back what I said. Maybe we could sell this planet after all. The cost may not be much, but at least we'll be the first ones to invade this planet," he then looked at his comrade. "Let's get inside."

Nappa cracked his fingers and moved his head from side to side. "I like your idea, Prince. Let's do it!"

When they approached the gate, two guards suddenly came up to them and pointed their javelins near their necks. The creatures had armor over their faces so their identities would not reveal; only their eyes were seen that were glowing bright in red. Their bodies looked like insects, and aside from their faces, every part of their body was also covered in silver armor.

"Stop!" demanded the guard. "How dare you trespass our territory. Quickly identify yourselves now and we will send you immediately to his royal highness."

Nappa only laughed. He used his scouter to check their power levels. They were so low, only about 200. Nappa again laughed. "Wow, Vegeta, what a bunch of weaklings. I could easily crush them with one hand!"

"Quit your useless talk," demanded the other guard. "Speak right now of your names! We'll take you the king immediately and let him decide your punishment for intruding our planet."

Vegeta folded his arms and chuckled under his breath. "Hah, you have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?"

In the coliseum, a battle was already going on between two fighters. Hundreds and thousands of crowd were watching while the king and queen of this planet were also watching from a particular spot, closer to the battlefield. The two were sitting on their thrones. The king seemed to be enjoying himself while the queen looked in deep morose; her head was turned away from this scene. All the creatures looked exactly alike like the two guards at the gate including the king himself. The queen, however, had a different kind of garment; only a veil to cover her face, and she was wearing a beautiful, flowing white dress.

"Yes!" the king cheered while eating delectable grapes and raspberries. "We haven't had a battle like this in a millennium. Whoever comes out as the reigning champion shall be my number one subordinate for life. He shall receive the luxury and gold I own in my castle."

The queen decided to speak against his words. "Your words have no truth in them. You only bring about a competition just to watch your own people be shed in blood for your own entertainment, and then deceive the one who comes out as you proclaimed to be your highly-respected henchman for life, and then you banish him from your own kingdom as years go by. You have no shame!"

"Silence, fool!" ordered the king to her. "You're nothing but a royal figure to our planet. Your job is to do as I say. Your opinion doesn't matter. This is for my own amusement. If you're not satisfied, I could easily throw you out in the streets, and let you die from hunger, thirst, and loneliness. Be grateful that I'm a very tolerant ruler especially to you."

"Then do it then!" fought the queen. "I rather die than to live many more years of forced imprisonment in your kingdom," she then turned her head again and said quietly in a whisper. "If only my one and true love was here..."

"Ah, hah," the king rubbed his chin. "So it's your so-called 'true love,' your 'true soul mate' that's keeping you strong for many years. Well, it's your lucky day, my sweet, because this next battle's for you."

"What?" the queen was surprised.

When the first battle was done, the winning warrior was about to face what the king exactly said; the winning warrior versus the queen's true lover.

"Oh no! What are you doing?" the queen turned to the king once she saw her lover coming to the battlefield.

"I think it's about time for your true love to perish forever," the king sneered.

"No, please! Spare him! He couldn't fight!" the queen shook his hands fretfully, but the king only rewarded her with a painful slap on her face.

The queen's true love saw this and shouted her name. "Adela!"

Adela responded back with tears in her eyes. "Basil!"

"Don't worry, my love," Basil assured her. "I entered this tournament to rescue you and bring our planet back to the way it was."

"You can't do it!" Adela warned him. "It's too dangerous to be here. Please, leave now!"

"No," Basil refused. "My love for you grows strong. I shall fight for you and end this tyrant's reign!"

The king heard him and he was taken into rage. "That savage! How dare he speak injustice towards me. I want him dead! Let the battle begin!"

The crowds roared while the winning fighter from the first round took up his first strike at Basil. Basil used his shield to block the attack, and then countered with a slash from his sword, injuring the fighter's right arm. Basil before had never learned the art of fighting, but after his true love was taken away from him and after many years of tolerating the king's cruel tyranny, he had trained himself to fight these past few months, and he had become very strong.

Basil and the fighter continued to go hand-to-hand, sword-to-sword, but the fighter was able to break through his defense and stabbed him on his right arm.

Adela covered her eyes in tears and dread while calling out for his lover's name. The king only laughed since he knew Basil had no chance of winning now. The battle was about to be concluded until a sudden, abrupt energy blast blew a quarter of the stadium.

"What is that?" the king yelled, almost falling off from his throne.

The fighters in the battlefield stopped fighting and the crowds stopped cheering. Most of them were running away since they felt danger ahead.

Behind the clouds of smoke, there stood Nappa and Vegeta who had easily defeated the guards. They had smirks on their faces.

"Who are they? They don't look anywhere from here!" the king exclaimed.

"Of course not," Vegeta heard what he said. He approached the king with Nappa following him. Once he was near the king, he smirked again. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but we're here to crash the party."

"That's right. We feel like this planet will sell off for a very good price," Nappa added.

The king shook his fists at them. "Fools! It's a pity that you're unaware of my regulations that I strictly enforced in this planet I'm ruling. Guards, attack them!"

The king's minions appeared below him, all armed with shields, swords, and javelins, and they made their way towards the two Saiyans.

Nappa stepped up and said, "Let me take care of this one."

"Go ahead," Vegeta replied.

Nappa placed his hand in front of him and readied for a powerful energy blast. As the king's minions continued to run head-on, Nappa gave them a surprising present.

"Heh, heh! Check this out! Bomber DX!" Nappa drew his arm back and fired a fiery-like ball that was blazing in red and orange colors. The blast overpowered the king's minions and turned them into dusts. Nappa's demonstration of power showed what Saiyans were capable of.

The king gulped hard. He underestimated them a little, but tried to keep his chin high. "Hmm, I see. You two are no ordinary tourists. You can all fire energy blasts, but don't let that get over your heads. A group of highly-trained elites of mine have also mastered the art of energy attacks."

Vegeta was interested to hear that. He insisted the king for them to come over.

The king started to get overconfident. "Heh, heh! As you wish, but you're only asking for your own dooms."

The king sent forth his next army. The next group of minions suddenly appeared out of nowhere and cornered the two Saiyans. Nappa and Vegeta looked from right to left.

"Mind if I also take care of this one?" Nappa asked his comrade.

Vegeta snorted. "No. Go ahead."

All at once, the minions of the king fired golden and red energy blasts from their mouths and eyes. Before they could hit them, Nappa instantly created a barrier around him and his companion. The barrier then acted as a shield of reflection, bouncing the energy blasts back to the minions. The minions were caught off-guard and they too vanished into thin air.

Adela and Basil watched this entire scene. For the first time, they felt joy in their hearts because they thought peace negotiators had come to save them.

"Aah!" the king screeched in horror. "How could they destroy my most powerful elite force? They're monsters!"

"Us? Monsters?" Nappa snickered.

"He either meant our faces or our strength," Vegeta grinned.

"Monsters! Monsters, I'll tell you!" the king continued to say.

Vegeta laughed. "For you information, we came from a race of warriors called 'Saiyans.'"

"Saiyans? What the heck is that?" the king questioned.

Nappa was dumbfounded to hear his response. "Wow, where they've been living all along?"

"It's a pity that you don't even know what a Saiyan is," Vegeta smirked. "Too bad for you. Your ignorance will soon lead you to your downfall, but let me tell you anyway. Saiyans are a group of powerful warriors who definitely show no mercy to anyone. You should feel honored to hear this considering your planet will be the first in several years to be invaded by these Saiyans."

The king finally stood up from his throne. "Shut up! I don't care who you are. This calls for drastic actions!" he declared. Suddenly, the king started to get bulkier as he powered up. All of his armor shattered into pieces, revealing his repulsive, ugly face; as revolting as his own attitude. He transformed into a huge, crawling insect with a thousand legs and arms. His mouth drew saliva out and when the saliva hit the ground, it created a huge dent on the floor.

"He's getting desperate, huh?" Nappa said, showing no signs of fear.

"It's hard to believe that he's a king," Vegeta raised a brow. "His bloodline must've been crazy to abdicate the throne to him. Anyway," Vegeta readied in his fighting stance, "let me take care of this one."

The transformed king screeched, piercing the skies as if they were about to break. He attacked the two Saiyans head-on at full speed, spitting acidic saliva at them, but Vegeta and Nappa simply evaded his attacks.

"Over here," Vegeta then appeared behind him and easily ripped off four of his arms and threw them all to the ground.

The king cried in pain, but persisted to destroy the two. He extended his arms and legs, hoping to strangle them, but Nappa grabbed another four of his arms and ripped them off as well. A little bit of alien blood splashed on his face and Nappa simply licked it.

Vegeta was getting bored fighting the monster since he was too easy to handle. He decided to put an end to this game. He placed his palm in front of the monster and fired a devastating energy blast to him, destroying him into pieces and dusts.

The Prince of all Saiyans rolled his eyes in disappointment. "What a nuisance. He just wasted his energy transforming. He didn't even last a minute."

"At least our job's done here," Nappa said. "Since this was a tournament, you're the new reigning champion now, Vegeta."

"I don't care much about that," Vegeta replied.

Adela and Basil knew the reign of the king was over. Once they knew the danger was gone, they embraced each other with love once they saw each other. They cried in tears of joy that they were finally reunited together. Then, the two approached the Saiyans and thanked them.

"Words cannot express how grateful we are!" Basil said. "You have helped us brought peace in this land."

"For so many years, we've longed for this day," Adela said. "You are truly our heroes."

"Yes, we must build a statue of you two in commemorate of your great deeds. You have brought peace in this planet. Finally, we can all live in joy," Basil spread his arms wide, "and start a new beginning."

The two of them continued to express their gratitude, but Nappa and Vegeta did not speak or comment on anything at all. Instead, Vegeta summoned both of his and his comrade's ships for it was time for them to leave. They hopped onto their ships and simply departed while Basil and Adela continued to praise them, calling them their heroes. When the Saiyans' ships exited the planet, Nappa communicated with Vegeta through his speaker.

"Heroes, eh? You think it's too much addressing us like that?" he scratched his bald head.

Vegeta did not give a care. "Whatever."

"That was a waste of time though," Nappa scowled. "The planet's so weak. The only thing amusing was when the king transformed into his hideous form. I can't even describe what it was. I guess a galactic millipede or something?"

Vegeta closed his eyes and grinned again. "Well, that was just a warm-up. The real fun begins when we get to Earth. Earth has the DragonBalls, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that. Let's go then, Vegeta," Nappa said.

"Hold on," Vegeta halted him.

Their ships stopped for a moment. Vegeta opened his door, stood up, and pointed directly at the planet with his index finger. "This planet is nothing but a piece of junk; might as well destroy it."

Vegeta then fired a thin laser blast that seemed to be fatal and lethal. Adela and Basil continued to hold each other with love and joy, unaware of what was going to happen next. Once Vegeta's blast touched the planet, it started to shake and few seconds later, it woke a huge explosion. Vegeta and Nappa watched this entertaining scene. The planet then disintegrated along with its moon.

"Hey, two in one. New record right there," Nappa said.

"Hmph, let's get out of here," insisted Vegeta.

Both of the relentless Saiyan warriors departed and left the dying planet. The planet then turned into space dusts. Vegeta had a huge grin on his face, his heart feeling no mercy for anything. The two Saiyans' powers were only a demonstration of how powerful they were. Imagine if they were to go full power once Nappa and Vegeta come face-to-face with Earth's Z-warriors.


	18. A Past's Revenge

Episode 18

A Past's Revenge

**Disclaimer: If you had read/watched "Episode of Bardock" when Bardock went back to the past and faced one of Frieza's ancestors, this chapter will make a lot of sense. Thank you!**

**Enjoy!**

"Does this road never seemed to end?" the exhausted Goku complained loudly.

Goku had been running for weeks now on Snake Way for as long as he can remember. He had only given himself short breaks for his journey, yet he could not even tell if he was at least halfway to his destination. The perpetual blue and pink skies above and the endless scales that ran along the sides of Snake Way made Goku sometimes feel dizzy as if he had been spinning in circles without end. What was even worse, he had not had anything to eat and his energy was quickly depreciating. It was a miracle that he could still keep on going, but he feared he will collapse soon.

When Goku stopped sprinting to catch his breath, his stomach growled heavily. He held it and whined. "Ooh, I'm so hungry! If only there was a restaurant around here or something. ...huh?"

Goku looked up to see the orange-colored clouds rolling by. Looking those clouds gave him a brilliant idea. He jumped to them, and started to eat them as if they were cotton candy.

"Yum! Too bad there's no flavor in it, but at least it fills my stomach!" Goku munched on the clouds one by one like they were marshmallows. He tried to think of Chi-Chi's cooking so the clouds would taste good, at least in his mind.

Since he was too focused on eating, he did not notice a tractor was coming by. When it passed him, the tractor stopped and the driver inside took a peak on what the young gentleman was doing. A sweat drop appeared on his head for what he was doing was very strange.

When Goku felt someone was watching him, he stopped eating and looked down at the driver. They both stared at each other for a second, and then Goku decided to converse with him.

"Hi, there! Heh, heh," he nervously scratched his head. "Sorry. I haven't had anything to eat for almost a month now!"

"I can see that, but are those clouds that delectable?" asked the driver.

"Not really, but at least they fill your stomach," Goku said.

"What are you doing in Snake Way anyway?" the driver questioned.

"I'm on my way to King Kai's place," Goku replied.

"King Kai's place?" the driver said. "For what reason?"

"To seek training from him," Goku simply said.

"Really? King Kai rarely takes disciples these days, but you'll be very lucky if he accepts you as his student."

"He does? Well, don't worry! I'll try my best then."

"Well, I guess I should be moving along then. See you," waved the driver. He was about to go until Goku halted him since he wanted to ask him a question.

"Whatcha doing anyway?" he asked.

"Just cleaning along Snake Way," replied the driver.

"Since you're here, perhaps you could tell me how many miles I've already covered 'till now?"

"Well…" the driver stared at the horizon and estimated. "Right now, you've only covered about one-fourth of Snake Way."

Goku had to shout literally to take out his frustration and shock. "WHAT? Are you kidding me? I thought I was doing a pretty good job, but I'm not even halfway there yet, and I'm already tired," he sighed very deeply.

"No worries. I could give you a ride. I'll take you at the halfway point of Snake Way," the driver offered.

Goku easily beamed. "Really? That's awesome! Thanks!"

"Go behind my tractor," the driver said.

"Thanks a lot!" Goku exclaimed with great gratitude. He then leapt on the back of his vehicle. Once he relaxed, he just noticed that his entire body was so weak that he could barely feel his legs from so much fatigue. It was a good thing that the driver was generous enough to escort Goku at half point of Snake Way, at least until he regains all of his energy back. From there, Goku slept peacefully and snored loudly.

At Earth, the sun was almost about to set. The Z-warriors were doing some last minute training before calling it a day.

Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Yajirobe were all sparring together. It was amazing that Yajirobe was actually concentrating on his training for once. The five fighters went hand-to-hand as they delivered non-stop blows. In the end, they all drew their fists back and created a shockwave of energy which vibrated in the air.

Raditz and Bardock were training with each other, and their kind of training was more intense than the Z-warriors'. Trained as tough Saiyan warriors, there was no such thing as "pain" or "fear" in their heads. It was only moving forward or giving up. For Raditz and Bardock, they were exchanging blows at each other, yet it seemed like they were not feeling any pain at all within every punch. Bardock caught the upper-hand, however, and punched Raditz's stomach. He then gave an elbow strike with his left hand, a roundhouse kick to his waist, and a final knee strike to his stomach again. Raditz was stopped in his tracks, but he disappeared all of a sudden. Bardock was caught in surprise, but felt his son's energy behind him. Before he could hit him, Bardock blocked his impending attack with a move of his own. As a result, their fists collided instead and created a more vibrating shockwave.

Gohan stood in amazement. He was not ready for this kind of training yet, but Kami told him that watching others train will also teach him something. For now, he was simply practicing basic moves still as well as controlling his energy and flight.

After practice, everyone took a break while waiting for dinner.

Krillin wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Wow! What a day! But I feel we've improved a lot."

"I have to agree," Chiaotzu happily said. "If we continue to train like this, we can beat those two enemies no sweat."

Tien crossed his arms. "We can all draw out our full potential as well. We should be fully prepared after a year."

"Y'know, I'm actually not afraid anymore facing those two threats. I bet we can easily kick their butts and send them back to where they belong!" Krillin laughed.

"Hah," Yamcha placed his hands on his hips. "I'm sure it's gonna be an easy battle."

Yajirobe wiped his nose. He sat down. "Well, go do what you need to do, but I'm stayin' behind once the battle begins."

The Z-fighters then turned their attention to Bardock. They noticed him giving some lecture to Raditz in regards to his fighting strategy.

"Remember, always keep a lookout on your opponent. If the enemy attacks, keep to a defense stance until you see an opportunity that will enable you to quickly counter or switch to an offence state"

Raditz nodded, understanding everything he said.

The Z-warriors were particularly looking at Raditz. They still bore some grudge towards him, but Chiaotzu decided to say something good about him.

"You know, I don't think Raditz is not the bad guy like he used to be before."

"What are you saying, Chiaotzu?" Tien found his statement to be ridiculous.

"I think it's about time we should trust him, don't you think?" Chiaotzu asked.

Krillin felt agitation swelling in his chest already. "After what he'd done to Goku? You expect us to trust that guy?"

"I'm sure he has already learned from his mistakes. Come on!" Chiaotzu tried to convince his friends. They were so cynical towards Raditz, it was getting a bit sad for the little kid. "Why do you think he's training with us now? He said that he wanted to help us with our battle against the two aliens that will come to Earth. Goku will also be coming back after a year anyway, so it's no biggie. Besides, I think Raditz is a very nice guy. Every person has some good in them no matter if they were born evil."

Yamcha had a serious face on, but its intensity was soon lost. "Chiaotzu's got a point, you know. Maybe Raditz is not so bad after all as we think. I mean, he has already changed his ways."

The rest of Z-warriors did not comment this time, but they also thought that Chiaotzu made a very good point. Soon, Popo came in and announced it was dinner.

At Snake Way, the driver had been traveling for two hours now with Goku behind the tractor still as he was still taking a long, well-rested sleep. The driver though accidently bumped his vehicle against the curve-ways of Snake Way, causing the moving tractor to shake. "Oops!" he exclaimed.

But the worse was about to come. Because of the bump, Goku fell off from the tractor, through the golden clouds below, and he was falling away from Snake Way...

And then… _THUMP!_

"OUCH!" Goku yelped and woke up instantly. He held his aching head and tried to sooth the pain. "That really hurt…hmm?" Goku's eyes fully awakened. He gazed at this unknown place he landed at. Everything was all rocky with high canyons and plateaus. Boulders were dispersed everywhere, and the skies were a shade of dark and light red. The atmosphere felt calm, but dark at the same time.

"What is this place? Am I already at King Kai's?" Goku asked himself, yet he doubted a lot because if this was King Kai's place, shouldn't his humble abode be a bit more welcoming than this dark, creepy place?

"Strange. Hmm?" Goku noticed a tree planted at a distance that held a lot of delicious fruits.

Goku slurped and licked his dry lips. His stomach grumbled hungrily in response. "Well, I haven't been eating for a while except for those clouds I ate. Guess a snack wouldn't hurt."

He happily sprinted towards tree. He was about to grab one of the fruits until a voice from behind was heard. "Hey!" it caught his attention.

"Huh?" Goku turned around.

"Don't you dare touch King Yemma's fruit!" another voice was heard.

Goku turned around some more and noticed two ogres. One was red-skinned and one was blue-skinned. The one that was red with nerdy glasses and black hair was called Mez and the one who was blue who had a club on his hand was called Goz.

Goku was not scared of their appearances, but pleaded instead. "Oh, come on. I'm getting hungry. Just one bite, please?"

"Don't try to win us over with your puppy face," said Mez firmly. "You can't. What makes you so special to receive King Yemma's fruit?"

Goku wiped out the dusts from his shirt. He happily introduced himself. "Anyway, my name is Goku. I came all the way here to seek training. Could you tell me which one of you is King Kai?"

Both of the ogres looked at each other and responded, "Not me."

"Hold on. You two are neither King Kai? But how's that possible?" Goku made sure he heard them right.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" asked Mez. "You're in the 'Land of No Return.' You're in the Underworld!"

"UNDERWORLD?" Goku panicked and gazed at the skies above him. "Geez! Guess I accidently fell here while I was asleep. That's a bummer!"

Mez and Goz were part of the many groups of working ogres in charge of keeping the Underworld at its place, especially making sure no bad guys cause any kind of trouble since this was obviously a place where evil souls go.

Goku looked at the skies again. He knew there was no time to waste. He needed to get to King Kai's place as soon as possible. "Look, it was nice knowin' you guys, but I hafta get back to Snake Way. See ya."

Goku concentrated and leaped as high as he could at full speed, but even at full power, he was not able to break through the Underworld's barrier between it and Heaven. He tried again and again, but to no avail. Instead, he only received a huge lump on his forehead.

"Ow! Darn! Does this mean I'm stuck here forever?" Goku panicked again. He though had forgotten about what King Yemma told him about being careful not falling off from Snake Way. Should he fall off, there was no coming back. Goku did not remember this until it was his fifth sad attempt trying to get out of this dreary place that he did remember.

Mez snorted. "What's he doing? This is the Land of No Return. He's stuck here forever, that's for sure," he said. A plan then jolted in his head. "I know. Let's have some fun with him a little bit, then we'll help him get him out of this place."

"There's actually a way out of this place?" asked Goz as if he never knew.

"Idiot, of course there is!" Mez said, "but we'll just toy with him a little bit."

"Well, I suggest I should go first. I've been working in that office for weeks and you've done nothing but have all the fun," Goz argued.

"What's the matter? You wanna _fight_ for it?" Mez angrily snarled.

"Bring it on!" Goz obliged.

Goz and Mez gripped their teeth together at each other. Then, they resorted in having to do rock-paper-scissors. Goz won, however, and as he made his way towards Goku, Mez told him,

"Hey, be a good sportsman and leave some fun for me, you hear?"

Goku tried to think of another way to get out of here. He then noticed Goz coming to him and asking him if he needed help. Goku said it was worth a try, but it will be difficult trying to get back to Snake Way. Goz then suddenly head-locked Goku into his arms while the fighter yelped in pain, wondering why he did that. Goz then used his ogre strength to lift him up in the skies at extra, maximum speed. Goku thought he will make it for sure, but instead, he hit his head hard again. Goku's eyes turned spirals when he hit the floor, indicating it was too much for him.

"Ow, I think you're not strong enough," Goku said honestly.

Goz was easily offended. "What are you talking about? You must know, I'm the best, strongest ogre around, and to prove it, I'll challenge you to a wrestling match."

"Hey, take it easy," Goku calmed him down.

"All right. If you win this one, I'll let you borrow my special flying machine, but if you lose, I'm gonna keep you as my personal play toy. Got it?" Goz explained thoroughly and well.

"Sure!" Goku simply agreed to take the challenge.

Mez shook his head when he heard his business partner arguing with Goku. "What's Goz doing? He better hurry up. I hate doing paper work."

As Mez was about to go to his office, a sudden, deep, frightening voice from behind caught his attention.

"Perhaps I should keep him as _my_ personal play toy instead, don't you think?"

"What are you talking ab-" but when Mez turned around, his eyes were filled with fear and terror. What he saw in front of him was a small stout creature that was cloaked in dark shadows. "He-hey! You're not supposed to be here! You're supposed to be where the other evil souls are."

"Oh, am I not permitted to take a fresh walk outside than get locked up in that cage for a thousand years?"

"Y-you did what?" Mez shouted.

"Now, stay out of my way," the evil-boding figure painfully shoved the red ogre out of the way. His cry of pain had Goku and Goz turned around.

"What's going on? What the? Mez!" Goz ran to his friend. "Are you all right? Huh?" he then noticed the one who injured him. "What the? Hey, you're not supposed to be here. King Yemma will be cross if he notices you hanging around here."

The figure did not answer, but awarded him with a dark smile.

Goku was taken to deep revelation when he sensed a very omnipotent energy coming from that figure. The figure's gray coat covered his body and half of his face; however, Goku knew deep within that shadowed face of his, evil intentions lied. He felt danger in the air already. What felt worse was that this dark creature could be not the only time he will have to face him once. Goku's heart started to beat rapidly. He was getting goose bumps, and the hair on his back stood up. Goku felt...frightened.

The sun had already settled at Earth. The Z-warriors just finished eating dinner and taking a bath. It was time for them to go to sleep. While everyone was already in their bedroom quarters, Bardock, as always, did the only one outside, want to take his daily fresh air. At solitude, he thought of so many things especially from the past; especially that painful memory about his home planet and the evil tyrant, Frieza. How he longed to seek vengeance from him. He hoped to find him soon, whatever the costs were.

Bardock suddenly heard footsteps from behind. Without having to turn around to see who it was, he said, "What are you doing here, Raditz? You're supposed to be sleeping."

Raditz stopped. "I need to talk to you about something."

"About what?" Bardock asked.

"About..." however, Raditz could not find the right words to say it. He approached his father until he was beside him. His father did not give him any eye contact.

"As you might know, you obviously survived the destruction of our home planet," he continued, "and when you did...where were you for the last twenty years?"

Bardock's eyes widened when he heard that. In fact, it was also the same question in his head. One possibility was that something or someone out there protected him all along while at space, or maybe he was taken into some kind of a dream-like realm where his body and soul stayed dormant for those twenty long years until time expired that it was time for him to wake up. Or maybe...there were so many answers. It was just a miracle that he survived.

"Are you sure?" Raditz asked him again. "You sure you can't remember anything?"

"I don't really-" however, Bardock stopped talking because an instant memory in his brain just flashed back. "Wait, maybe...I do remember."

Raditz proceeded to listen carefully.

"It was confusing though as if I went back to the past," Bardock said. He then sat down to try to put the pieces of the lost memory together until that recollection was fully regained. His son sat down with him.

"You went back to the past?" Raditz questioned.

"I guess I did," Bardock now said in a whisper. He looked at him. The memory was so vague since it had been twenty long years, but he knew something happened during his twenty-year long sleep in space. "I remember, I woke up suddenly, finding myself in some sort of a treatment center, but don't think it looked like any of the advanced medical centers that we have today. It sorta felt like I ended up in a village. While wondering where I was while lying in my bed, two alien creatures came to my room. One appeared to be the village's head doctor and the other was his son. They were creatures I had never seen before in my life. They said that I was lucky to be alive. They welcomed me and said I was in Planet Plant."

"Plant Plant? But that was once our home planet's name before, before King Vegeta ruled and named it after his name," Raditz commented.

"That was exactly in my mind," Bardock said. "The head doctor then asked me to show him my wounded arm. He healed it with some kind of glowing liquid sealed in a bottle; liquid that looked similar to what the Isolation Chambers had, where Saiyans were put inside to quickly treat their wounds after a great battle, remember?"

"Really? Man, what you're saying right now feels like it's enough evidence you somehow went back to the past," Raditz was certain.

"I don't know...it felt like I wasn't there physically, but mentally?" Bardock asked himself and then he continued his story. "Anyway, I became friends with the head doctor and his son, and I had also grown quite fond of their people. Then, a mysterious spaceship came to the planet; a similar spaceship to what..." he then put his head down as if he felt pain writhing in his heart, "...Frieza used."

Raditz was silent for a moment. He hesitantly asked, "Who was in that ship?"

"I followed the ship since it was causing havoc in the planet. Then, it appeared to be..." he stopped as if his voice left him. Raditz hated to know who that was.

Goku stared at the short, yet figure of darkness and atrocity. He stood up straight and asked, "Who-who are you?"

"My, you can't remember after all these years? You should know," the figure then took off his cloak, revealing himself. An evil grin was plastered on his face. He was definitely alien-looking. Two black horns spiked up from his head. His lizard-like tail swished back and forth. His reptile-like feet were positioned as if he was willing to fight Goku. His hands were clenched in fists. His red pupils were shaking in anger and grudge.

"I'm the one who you brought me down to defeat which I held as a shameful disgrace to me. I, the great ruler of the universe, Chilled!" he shrieked.

"Chilled?" Raditz asked after his father told him the name.

"Yes, that was him," Bardock said. "I bet he was one of Frieza's ancestors. They both bare the same resemblance,"

"What did he look like?" asked his son.

"He was short and kinda chubby," Bardock found himself chuckling when he said that. "Like Frieza, he had two horns; had an orange, white, and purple body. He was not wearing any Saiyan armor like what you're wearing right now, Raditz. He was very diminutive in height, but his power was tremendous."

"Chilled?" Goku asked. He gave a serious look. "I don't know who you are, but one thing for sure, I never met you before."

"What? Stop saying foolish things!" Chilled scolded him. "Don't act as if you didn't know me, Bardock!"

"Bardock?" Goku said and then he defended back. "You have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Goku, Bardock's son," yet Goku was only being truthful when he said that because he had no belief still that Bardock was his true father.

"Son? You're his son?" Chilled asked. He observed him for a moment. Indeed, he appeared different, but he looked alike like Bardock, although there was some differences between them especially the sound of their voices. Chilled calmed down from his rising anger that was burning in his chest. He started to laugh instead. "Hah, hah. What a surprise. I never thought I'd meet his son passing by here. You know, I met your father before, Goku. He's a very strong person; so strong I underestimated him. I thought I had him though in my hands for him to die, but instead, the tables were turned. Your father suddenly defeated me with a kind of power I had never seen before. I will never forget that day! Very soon, I will meet him again and take my revenge."

"When did you guys meet?" Goku asked, wanting to know.

"What? Didn't your own father even tell you about his pitiful, glorious days? It was a thousand years ago," Chilled replied.

Goku found this to be impossibility because he knew Bardock was currently in Earth right now.

"What are you talking about? Bardock's alive right now, if you want to know," he said.

Chilled found this to be an impossibility too. If he had met him a thousand years ago, how could he be alive now? Was he immortal?

Raditz also found this to be an impractical joke, but he knew his father was not the kind of person who told lies or jokes especially at times like these. "If he existed a thousand years ago, and he never knew who Frieza was...then there's no doubt that you somehow traveled back to the past, Father."

Bardock felt perplexed though. He wanted to smash the floor with his bewildered fists, hoping that venting out his confusion might give him the exact answer. "But it felt like it was all a dream though! Yet it seemed too real..."

Chilled laughed again. He did not want any confusion to get in the way now. There was a reason why he came to meet Goku or the one who he thought was Bardock. "Let's cut the chit-chat. It doesn't really matter anymore whether Bardock had existed a thousand years ago or not. What's best is that I could kill his son instead so my hunger for revenge can at least be satisfied."

"What?" Goku backed off a little. He was all along feeling his energy level while they were talking, and according to it, Goku was no match for him. "I didn't come here to fight anybody. I need to get back to Snake Way. Besides, we're both already dead so it's impossible to kill someone twice. You might as well leave. I don't really have time for this."

"Then I'll just throw you into the fiery pits of Hell and burn you there internally!" Chilled shouted and thus, the battle began. Crimson red aura started to engulf him. His strength increased dramatically which frightened Goku even more.

However, Goku knew he must not hold back now. He readied in his fighting stance and braced himself. Chilled came for the first initiative as he soared into the skies with his fist drew back for a devastating punch. Goku was lucky enough to evade it and had enough time to get behind him for a counter, but Chilled was a lot faster than he looked. He vanished the moment Goku tried to give the fastest kick he could do. Chilled appeared behind the warrior and then gave a flawless, yet dangerous sidekick to his back. Goku already felt pain overtaking his entire body; this pain felt even worse than his battle with Raditz. At this terrifying moment, Goku realized that he must further extend his training more. There were a lot of aliens out there who lived outside of Earth that were ten thousand times stronger than he was.

"AUGH!" Goku instantly crashed into three giant boulders for more damage. His clothes were not torn off, thankfully, but a few scratches and bruises were already seen on his face and arms.

Chilled was surprised to witness this. Already, he felt triumph about his own strength. "I didn't know that Bardock's son was a lot weaker than I thought. Hah, hah! This should be easy then. After I'm done with his son, I'll try to find a way to get out of here and look for Bardock so I could finally have my revenge on him. Hah, hah, hah!"

"His power was astonishing. It was impossible to lay a finger on him," Bardock said who was now at the part where he was fighting Chilled. "I was convinced that this what it felt like if I were fighting Frieza."

Goz and Mez were freaking out, wondering what they should do in order to capture Chilled and make sure he does not leave his prison again. If they do not make any hasty action at the moment, King Yemma might get angry at them.

"Come on, Mez! Think of something!" Goz insisted.

"I don't know!" Mez replied.

"Think for once 'cause apparently, we're gonna be in big trouble if we don't come up with a solution," Goz said.

Mez finally thought of something. "I know. You know that new device the ogres made at the check-in station? It's a device that's used to trap an evil soul, no matter how weak or strong that soul is. It will surely keep the soul trapped inside no matter how hard he or she tries to break out."

"We should definitely get it then. I heard that the device had just shipped here this morning," Goz said.

"Good, then let's go get it!" Mez urged.

The two ogres quickly went to get that device while hoping Goku would still be okay when they both return.

Goku stood up painfully. He held his right arm and breathed heavily. Every breath he took, pain surged in his body. He felt he wanted to faint. He regretted for being so clumsy that his actions resulted to ending up in the Underworld and having to face a strong enemy he was not ready to face yet. He should have been more careful while at Snake Way.

"Darn, how am I supposed to get out of this mess? He's so strong! What power! Yet, I also feel excited," Goku gave a slight smile. His love for battles always grew strong. His dream was to fight stronger opponents so that he may gain fighting experience and also become strong, both mind and body. He had to admit that Chilled was somebody stronger than Raditz and Piccolo combined. Goku had that one notion that Chilled could be the strongest opponent he ever had to face, and this was one battle that proved there were warriors out there that had strength far beyond anyone could imagine. The only question was that were there any more enemies he needed to face that were as powerful or could be more powerful than Chilled himself? Because he learned that after facing his once-evil brother, Raditz, that the opponents he faced and defeated inside Earth were only a mere beginning to his martial arts training. Perhaps the real test finally began when Raditz first came to Earth.

"I need to figure out a way to somehow beat him, but how?" Goku shifted his focus back to the battle.

Chilled flew towards him at maximum velocity, ready to inflict him more damage. Before he could get to him, Goku soared to the skies as fast as he could. He then dashed behind him, giving a great sidekick to his neck, but Chilled did not feel a thing.

"Heh, it's worthless to try," Chilled quickly turned around and swatted Goku away with his arm. Goku was once again blown away, but regained his balance just in time.

"Try this then!" Goku clasped his hands together. "Kamehame-HA!" he threw the powerful beam at him.

Chilled was caught by surprise. He had never seen such a technique before where a fighter would concentrate his or her energy to a single point and then released it at full power. The Kamehameha wave came in contact with Chilled, but it did little to damage him. The only thing that Goku gave him was a few scratches from here and there.

"Impressive!" Chilled said and then he abruptly appeared in front of Goku with his red pupils locked on him, "but not quite enough!"

Chilled switched to the offense and gave a grueling knee strike to Goku's abdomen. Goku's eyes nearly turned white. Once again, excruciating pain tightly pricked his body. Chilled then gave a striking punch to his face, a back-fist as he turned around, and then a sidekick with his right foot. Goku came crashing down on the ground again; his hard fall creating a huge dent on the floor,

Chilled gave a laugh of triumphant joy. "Hah, hah, hah! No one can mess with the great Chilled! I am superior to anyone else. No one can withstand my power."

"That may be true..." Goku said in a very weak voice, but clear enough to be heard.

"Huh? You can still stand?" Chilled was quite surprised to see a persistent fighter.

Goku slowly stood up. Even trying to move his legs and arms almost forced him to lie down as if they were trying to tell him to give up because this new enemy he was facing was someone he should surrender to, but Goku's heart believed he can do this. He had to find the right time and opportunity to do so.

"But didn't you say that Bardock was the one who defeated you? So there's actually someone who could withstand your power. Ngh!" Goku painfully closed an eye, but he continued to stand with his two feet. "I may be only an inferior opponent to you, but one thing for sure, I'll keep on standing. Nothing can stop me from giving up now!"

Goku powered up and went to a "Strike Booster." His blue aura surrounded and danced around him. His power and defense increased, at least for only temporarily.

"Hah, don't think a little power up's gonna stop me! Rargh!" Chilled went for the attack again, but Goku sensed this and instantly vanished. Instead, he awarded him with a high front kick to his chin and sent him flying in the air.

"Here it goes!" Goku placed two hands on the floor, his right foot bended to his chest while his left foot stretched out as if he was prepared to run a marathon, ready to win the prize at the finishing line. He was preparing to do his move called "Meteor Combination."

Bardock continued to tell his story to Raditz. "When Chilled had the final blow on me, I thought it was all over. I could feel my end drawing near again, like what Frieza did to our home planet, but when Chilled decided to shamelessly hurt and injure the head doctor's son, whom I developed a friendship with, it was the last episode in my mind that I wanted to see."

Raditz stared at him.

Bardock looked at his right hand, which then he curled into a fist. Even though the story he was retelling was only a memory, he had lived through it and he felt he was living in it again. "I felt I was pathetic for not being able to save my home planet, my comrades, my own people whom displayed pride, strength, and honor in everything they do...I felt even worse when I couldn't even save a helpless village and an innocent child."

His powerful words almost struck Raditz's heart. It made him feel a bit guilty, making him feel he should have been with his father to help him with his great battle against Frieza and his army. Instead, he was out there a million miles away in some kind of mission, still serving that tyrannical overlord, not knowing that Frieza was the one who betrayed the Saiyans.

"A new power then awakened inside of me," Bardock said. "It was some kind of power I've never achieved before, but it renewed me. I felt I was reborn into a new warrior," he tried to visualize again what that power gave to him against his fight with Chilled. "I was engulfed in a strange gold light. At that point, I thought of nothing else but to exterminate Chilled where he was standing because I knew I couldn't let him go on any further with his evil deeds; the same thing I had done when I faced Frieza."

"Dad..." Raditz did not want to interrupt him, but was curious to know this. "This new power, what is it?"

"I don't know, Son, because after I achieved it, it left me; maybe even forever," Bardock whispered.

Goku had gathered enough energy to perform his Meteor Combination. As Chilled was still being blown away by his superb high front kick, Goku then dashed at full speed towards him, ready to turn the tables and make victory his.


	19. Possibilities

Episode 19

Possibilities

"Hyah!" Goku's aura shone as if he was a star itself, giving light to the universe. He was ready to make his move.

Chilled stopped instantly from getting blown away. He shook his head to regain his conscious back. "Wha-what?"

He was too late to defend, evade, or intercept Goku's Meteor Combination. A striking, flawless elbow strike then hit his face badly that it forced Chilled to spurt out some saliva from his mouth. Goku then did a combination of swift and dynamic kicks with his left foot. With a battle yell to boost up his energy, Goku gave a grueling sidekick to Chilled's side, which the alien almost thought it was going to disintegrate since Goku's attacks were so powerful. Goku then switched to his right foot and did another combination of astonishing attacks with it. Chilled felt dizzy, his whole world spiraling before him. For a dramatic ending, Goku gave a direct punch to his opponent's stomach, instantly stopping his enemy from his tracks. While he kept him in that position, Goku soared to the skies and fired a Kamehameha wave which woke a huge explosion as soon as it touched Chilled.

_BOOM!_

Goz and Mez had finally returned with the device. They were holding up a steeled-bar cage with a solid wall covering one side of it. In Mez's hand was a remote. The two ogres almost dropped the device since Goku's Meteor Combination almost disturbed them.

"Woah! What happened here?" Mez asked.

Beyond the clouds of smoke, there was Goku floating in the skies. He was breathing hard. He had almost drained all of his energy just to beat the unrelenting Chilled. He hoped he might have stopped him, at least enough for him to escape and get out of here. On the ground was Chilled who was struggling to stand. A few scratches and bruises were seen on his body. Chilled was in slight pain, but his face was in deep rage.

"You pitiful vermin! How dare you do that to the mighty Chilled!" the alien screeched.

Goku gasped in fright. His smile of fright then suddenly turned into a weak smile. "Heh, heh. Wow, he's a lot more persistent than I imagined. He really wants his revenge, huh?"

As Chilled tried to situate himself and tried to make his turn, Goz shouted to Goku.

"Goku! Here! Trap Chilled inside this cage! He'll be locked up for sure."

"Huh? Are you kidding me? Are you sure that thing's gonna work?" Goku doubted very much that an ordinary-looking cage will keep Chilled imprisoned for eternity.

"Don't be silly," Mez yelled at him this time. "The afterlife is much more different than you think! This cage is made of indestructible steel and will keep an evil soul locked up no matter how hard it tries to get out. Just trust us! King Yemma made this himself."

Goku focused his attention back to his opponent. "Okay, I trust ya. Now, how am I supposed to do this?"

Chilled heard their conversation and said to them all, "Don't be foolish. You think I'll let myself get stuck up in this filthy place again? I'll never let any of you do that. Rargh!"

The ominous alien had quickly restored some of his energy back and was prepared to fight Goku once more. Chilled teleported in front of him as quick as lightning and then head-butt him. Goku thought his skull had cracked from his sudden attack. He was blown away instantly, unable to feel his entire face for a moment. Chilled dashed behind him and gave a high front kick, sending him to the dark firmaments of the Underworld. The self-proclaimed overlord then appeared above him and delivered a painful stomp on his stomach. Goku crashed to the ground and lent out a loud, painful groan. Chilled then fired energy blasts at him from his hands, enclosing him with them and making sure he did not get away.

"Should we help him?" Goz anxiously asked his friend.

"Are you stupid?" Mez growled at him. "Against a being like that? No way! Let's just cheer for Goku! Go, Goku! You can beat him! Yeah!" he encouraged while Goz only shook his head, thinking it will not work like that.

Chilled fired his last energy blast and created a huge explosion on the ground. When the fog faded away, there was Goku, lying there with his body injured and vulnerable to any more attacks.

"Ngh! He's so strong!" Goku said in pain, founding himself struggling to speak also. "How can I get out of this?"

"Hah, hah, hah!" Chilled maliciously laughed. "My, he gave me quite a scare there for a moment. I must admit. He may be very feeble, but I know that he's capable of turning someone as strong as his own father Bardock. Well, I must end this battle quick. I don't want to experience that horror again," he was now saying in a whisper, "that horror when that Bardock transformed into a different warrior of golden light. They're both Saiyans after all..."

Goku was shocked to hear that. He asked him weakly how he knew Bardock was a Saiyan.

"He told me," Chilled replied. "I never knew what a Saiyan was, but after he demonstrated his power to me, I realized what a Saiyan is and what they're capable of."

Goku though believed he was not a Saiyan, but a mere Earthling, raised on Earth by his adoptive grandfather and trained under him, Master Roshi, and Kami which gave him his tremendous strength in battle.

Goku finally stood up, holding his right arm while trying to maintain his balance. He fixated his eyes onto his. At the blink of an eye though, Chilled disappeared all of a sudden. Goku searched for his energy, but his opponent got behind him and caught his attention.

"Over here, fool!" he said.

Both fighters were then engaged in a blows crash. They vanished and accumulated their speeds to their limits. Both of them fought with all their might, hitting each other with their fists as they sent rigorous punches at each other. Their feet played part in their battle as well, sending strong low, middle, and high kicks that were performed so fast, no one could possible anticipate them. The two warriors broke through rocks, boulders, and canyons while continuing to do combat to their limits. Chilled unfortunately had the upper-hand and blew Goku away with a strong punch to his face. As he was being blown away, Chilled prepared for his final attack to finish him off.

Bardock continued to tell his story to Raditz. He was now at the part where he was fighting Chilled, when Bardock was in his mysterious form that gave him an unbelievable amount of power that dominated the threatening alien being.

"I knew I couldn't hold back now," Bardock told. "Even though I gained strength that surpassed his, I was afraid that he may suddenly get the upper-hand if I were to let my guard down. When our second battle began, I thought of nothing but more than willing to exterminate Chilled as soon as possible so that I may save the planet. I used up all of my mysterious power to ensure that Chilled won't bother another planet again."

Chilled was finished preparing his ultimate finisher. "I'll end this quickly. Die, you Saiyan!" he then lifted his two hands and a dark energy ball was instantly formed between his palms. "Taste my wrath!" he shouted that screeched the skies. After the sphere was completed, surrounded by spiked, yellow lightning and dark aura, he was about to launch it towards Goku.

Goku opened an eye, thinking this was the end, but behind Chilled he saw something that instantly gave him a plan; that gave him the perfect opportunity to quickly turn his defeat to unlikely victory. He saw the Underworld's sun.

"That's it!" Goku exclaimed.

Using his last bit of energy, Goku dashed at high speed and powerfully struck Chilled's face. He was distracted and his focus was wavered that his dark ball of energy suddenly vanished. Chilled was extremely furious that he pushed him and intended to crush Goku to the ground with his bare hands.

"How dare you make a fool out of me!" Chilled roared.

Goku turned his attention to Goz and Mez. "Goz! Mez! It's time! Open the cage now!"

"O-okay!" both of them anxiously said and then they opened the cage together.

Goku turned his attention to Chilled this time. "All right! Try this one!"

"What?" Chilled's eyes widened.

Goku then placed his fingers on his forehead and using his sun as his guide, he closed his eyes and yelled, "Solar Flare!"

A blinding white beam of light appeared and dispersed from Goku's face. The light directly hit Chilled's eyes that it abruptly blurred his vision.

"Aah! My eyes! I can't see!" Chilled rubbed them, but no matter how hard he tried to gain his vision back, his eyes only hurt more and they could not see things properly.

"HYAH!" Goku then flew behind Chilled and struck him with an astounding sidekick that it hurled his opponent towards the cage and he collapsed against its steeled bars.

Goz instantly shut the door locked while Mez used his remote control to put more maximum protection into the cage. After a few minutes, Chilled finally had his vision back, but was furious to know he was taken to prison once more. He tried to get out with all his strength, but nothing happened.

"You Saiyan! I'll get you for this!" screeched Chilled, venting all his frustration to the innocent Goku.

"Oh, be quiet," Mez told him.

"We're gonna send you back to where you belong, so be good this time," Goz added.

While the two ogres took him away and while Chilled spat and cursed at Goku, saying he was nothing but a meddling vermin and that he will come back soon to extract his revenge, Goku simply floated at the skies with a smile on his face; not commenting at all towards his opponent's frightening rage. He was too weak and injured to talk anyway from the battle that he had, which he never expected to happen during his days here in the afterlife, yet since his heart also had a passion for fighting, this challenging combat gave him some very good fighting experience. He was actually thankful that he had it because after he experienced a good taste of what Chilled's power was like, Goku was more than motivated than ever to get to King Kai's place and get himself stronger so that he can take on opponents that could be as strong as Chilled.

"At the end, I defeated him," Bardock was at the conclusion of his story. "I was able to save the planet, the village's doctor and his son. At that point, it was time for me to go. I left without saying a word, feeling positive that the planet should be bothered no longer."

Raditz found his story to be quite mysterious, yet amazing at the same time. He was glad to have a strong father like him. "Then, what happened?"

Bardock placed his knuckles on his chin and lips. "As I walked away, a strange light came in. The mysterious power I achieved instantly left me and I was reverted back to my original form. The next thing I knew, I fell into a deep sleep for a long time. And then I woke up. That was the day where I realized I had been traveling in space for twenty years and also the day where I sought out to find Frieza."

Raditz looked at him. His father then looked at the skies.

"Instead, I found you and Kakarot," Bardock's lips curled into a grin. He then chuckled, "which is great because I haven't seen my two sons for a very long time," he turned his head and set his eyes onto Raditz.

"Heh," Raditz smiled too.

In the Underworld, Goz and Mez returned. Goku was sitting on a rock as he was trying to gain back his energy.

"You did it!" Goz cheered. "I can't believe you can stand up to someone like that. What are you anyway? You're too strong to be a mere Earthling, that's for sure."

Goku found himself smiling. He looked at the two ogres. "I was raised on Earth as a human, but someone told me I was actually a Saiyan. Nevertheless, I think it doesn't really matter if I came from a different race than what I had always believed myself to be. In any kind of fight, if you just work hard and believe in yourself, anything's possible."

Goz and Mez found his speech to be short, yet positively endless.

"Pretty good speech there, kid," Mez said. "I'm actually training to be a strong ogre myself, you see?"

"Hey! If that's the case, you have to challenge me first 'cause I'm the strongest ogre around," Goz defended.

"It's not really proven that you are the strongest around, y'know," Mez defended back.

Their argument really was only a mere, silly quarrel that in the end, they all laughed heartily and happily. Goku laughed as well.

"Well, kid," Mez turned his focus to the fighter, "you've done a great job. We kinda underestimated you a little bit. We're sorry that we treated you kinda disrespectfully though."

"That's okay," Goku reassured them. "It's no big deal."

"Hey, since you're here, why not we award you to a big lunch? I mean, you saved us after all so you deserved it," Goz offered.

Goku's stomach hungrily growled in response. He had forgotten all about his lack of energy and all the pain he endured. He jumped towards them as if he sprung back to life. "Did you say 'food'? That's great! I'm starving!"

Several minutes later, Goz and Mez set up a picnic table and provided all the foods that they could give to Goku to fill up his stomach. They set up several sandwiches, chicken wings, shopaos, dumplings, and a few desserts here and there. They all stared in deep amazement to see how Goku was eating his dishes quickly and hungrily as fast as possible.

"Uh..." the two ogres were baffled.

"Yum! This is good!" Goku munched on his foods scrumptiously, drinking some of his orange juice from time to time, and then eating again. He had crumbs and grease all over his face, but he did not even bother cleaning it with a napkin.

Mez scratched his head. He found his eating habits to be quite disgusting. "Don't you have any table manners, kid?"

Goku though did not hear him. He munched away like there was no tomorrow.

Goz blinked his eyes. "Wow, he eats more than I do! _Way_ more!"

Goku finished eating everything in just ten minutes. He had munched on about thirty plates total. He patted his stomach and sighed with great relief and satisfaction. "That hits the spot! Thanks a lot, you guys."

Goz and Mez were surprised to know he had such a big appetite. They thought his stomach was a bottomless pit. Goku then noticed the two ogres had not touched their lunches one bit. He asked them if they were going to eat theirs.

"What? You're still hungry after eating all of that?" asked Goz.

Goku laughed. "Hah, hah! No, I was just asking," the happy fighter then stood up and stretched his arms up high. He placed his hands on his hips. "Well, thanks a lot for the lunch, but there's one thing that's still bothering me. Are you sure I'm stuck in this place forever?"

When the ogres heard this, they started to laugh.

"No, you silly!" Goz said. "There's actually a way out of here. We were just kidding before."

Mez then suddenly covered his friend's mouth, telling him to watch the volume of his voice.

"Really?" Goku was relieved to hear that. "Man, how come you didn't tell me in the first place?"

Mez tried to whisper his words as low as possible. "If we were to tell you out loud, some of the evil souls in this place would have heard us. If any of them hears this secretive, vital information, then a riot would've started here already. Everyone would then try to get out of here"

Goku scratched his head and smiled. "Your jobs here must be really tiring, huh?"

"You need people who are willing to take these kinds of positions like us," Goz said.

"Come on, we'll show you the way out of here," Mez insisted.

The two ogres then escorted Goku to a huge canyon wall. To the canyon's left though, there was a huge hole that looked recently made by some source.

"Hey, is that the way out?" Goku asked.

"Shh!" Goz and Mez gripped their teeth.

"Oh, sorry," Goku lowered down his voice. "Is that the way out?"

"No, it's not," Mez quietly replied.

Goku scratched his head in confusion. "Then why's there a hole there?"

"It's meant to deceive any trespassing evil souls, making them think it's the way out of the Underworld," Mez explained," but instead, they will end up at the check-in station, inside King Yemma's drawer in which King Yemma would simply send them back here"

Goku found this system kind of intriguing.

"But the real escape way is this," Goz patted the empty, humongous, canyon wall in front of them.

"But it's nothing but a big wall," Goku said, observing its rocky surface.

"Oh, but this is the best part," Mez said.

Mez and Goz looked from left to right to see if there were any evil souls watching them. The coast was clear and so they proceeded to put their hands on the gigantic wall of emptiness. Their hands lent out a quick, visible wave and then they said something what sounded like a code to open the canyon wall. For a second, nothing really happened. Then, the wall began to open itself up. As it opened up, lights started to come out from it. Goku had to shield his eyes from this bright, yet dazzling show. As soon the lights faded, Goku was surprised to see a warp dimension in front of him.

"So this is where the exit is," Goku was intrigued. In his mind, he thought it looked like a dimension instead that led a person to another kind of universe. He then faced the two ogres. "Well, I have to get going. It was nice being with you guys."

"No problem," Mez and Goz said together.

"We hope we can see each other again," Goz waved.

"That's right. Tell us if you have made it all the way to Snake Way and also trained under the one called King Kai," Mez added.

"Sure. I'll do that," Goku gave a thumps-up. He was about to leave until he remembered something. "Oh yeah, thanks also for the fruit."

"Fruit?" the two business partners question in unison.

Goku then showed them a pear with red and purple spirals on its delectable skin. It was also surrounded with glitter. Goz and Mez, however, were shocked to see this.

"What? You stole King Yemma's fruit? Wait, don't eat tha-"

It was either Goku was not listening, had forgotten about not touching King Yemma's fruit, or perhaps he was simply joking around just to see the funny reactions on their faces. Nevertheless, he ate the fruit anyway, down to the last bite. When the eaten pear reached his stomach, it felt like Goku was even fuller than ever; not to mention, a lot more energized too filled with vigor and life.

"Yum, that was delicious! It's perfect for a dessert treat. Well, I'm on my way. Thanks again! Bye!" Goku then hopped inside the dimension and instantly vanished.

Mez's and Goz's eyes were small and shocked.

"He just didn't do that, did he?" Mez was at pure disbelief.

"Well," Goz shrugged his shoulders, "I guess he can have the fruit anyway. King Yemma doesn't really eat them for a thousand years now."

Mez rolled his eyes. "Even though he hasn't eaten them for a thousand years, it's still his fruit! He told us specifically to prevent anyone who touches it."

"We're doomed then?" Goz asked.

"Stupid, yes we are!" Mez ruffled his hair in a panicky way.

"Then, why not we keep it as a secret?" Goz suggested.

"You think it'll be that easy?" questioned Mez.

Goku was dazzled to see the beautiful, spiraling lights before him. He actually enjoyed this beautiful scenery. At the end of the tunnel, he saw another hole that led back to Snake Way.

"That must be it!" Goku exclaimed.

There was also a current warp on Snake Way's pink and blue skies in which Goku had come out from it. He surfaced on Snake Way's road with his two feet. He gave an exhale and then stood up straight as he checked his surroundings.

"Huh, that was a nice trip, Hmm?" Goku noticed on one of the orange clouds above him had teeth-like marks as if someone had bitten off from it.

"Hmm, I'm back to where I was when I first met that tractor?" Goku said. This meant he was back to the one-fourth mark of Snake Way. He was a little disappointed because if he had not fallen off of Snake Way, he would have covered the road halfway point already; however, there was no turning back now. He needed to move on and keep going. From there, he sprinted as fast as he could.

Back at Kami's Tower, Bardock and Raditz sat for a while in silence. Then, his son spoke.

"Whatever that power was you achieved, I hope it comes to you again, Dad. It seems like it's a kind of power that's used to help others in need."

"I hope so too," wished Bardock. There was still one thing though that still bothered him. What was the purpose of him going back to the past anyway? Did it have any significance behind it or was it merely just an accident? The two Saiyans stayed quiet for a while until Raditz provided a theory.

"Maybe it was a chance to redeem yourself."

Bardock had to look at him, wondering what he meant. Raditz was the one who did not look at him this time, but the twinkling night skies above him.

"You said that you weren't able to stop Frieza from destroying our home planet," Raditz explicated, "but you were determined enough to find him again. Maybe you traveling back to the past and being able to fight one of Frieza's long ancestor was a chance to redeem who you are."

Bardock's eyes glistened with hope. "...I think you're right, Son. Perhaps...maybe it _was_ a chance for me to redeem myself...or maybe it was a kind of training, a preparation for a battle against Frieza because I have a feeling that we'll meet him sooner or later."

"If we meet Frieza tomorrow or the next few years, I'm sure we can beat him this time," Raditz was confident.

Both father and son looked at each other. They both felt the pure confidence and faith in their hearts because they knew, no matter how many intolerant terrors Frieza had laid upon the Saiyans and many more of the innocent planets before them, Frieza will soon be brought down to defeat. Bardock and Raditz smiled at each other, now more determined than ever to train to their utmost limits and be ready to fight, sacrifice, and win.

At Snake Way, Goku was running at a very fast speed. He did not feel tired one bit. "Wow! I feel like I'm brand new. I guess King Yemma's fruit really hits the spot. I feel more energized than ever!" with that being in mind, Goku continued to run endlessly. He will not stop this time until he had reached his desired destination.


	20. The Great Ape Transformation!

Episode 20

The Great Ape Transformation!

About a month had passed. The Z-fighters had been training rigorously every day, each trying to unlock his own potential that will benefit him for the incoming battle as well as in the future.

Gohan had learned all the fundamentals of fighting: the punching and kicking, the offense and defense, the energy and flight. Now, he was learning the more advanced lessons, which included countering and chain combo rush. He will also learn, which was considered the most fun to learn by the Z-warriors' preference, the energy techniques such as the Kamehameha wave.

Everyone was doing his usual training. Kami was observing Gohan fighting his grandfather, Bardock. Kami wanted to see where Gohan stood right now in his fighting abilities. Bardock could only defend and counter his grandson whenever it was necessary. Gohan attacked continuously, practicing his skills while in air.

"Hyah, hyah, hyah!" Gohan yelled with vigor.

Whenever Bardock fought, his calm demeanor can still be seen, but the intensity in his eyes of seriousness and concentration blazed. Bardock may be nice and easy to talk to, but whenever it came to fighting, he will never hold back on anything. He will take it easy though if he was fighting towards his relatives, friends, and family.

"Rargh!" Gohan spun and sent a sidekick to Bardock's side, but Bardock simply defended his attack.

Kami nodded. "Okay, Gohan. Try to do an energy blast attack."

"Okay!" nodded Gohan.

After Gohan did another set of moves, he moved back and placed his two hands in front. Bringing his energy out and turning it into some kind of shape or form that created damage was something that he was still working on for the past weeks. He and Kami had been practicing this skill, and the half-Saiyan was doing quite well. The only thing he needed to work on was to concentrate and relax more, and soon, firing energy blasts will be a piece of cake.

"Rrrghh..." Gohan gulped hard. He was sweating; his hands were shaking heavily just to bring out his energy. He tried to relax though and when he did, visible waves began to beat like a heart beating from his palms. Then, a sphere of light formed in the middle. The light blinked more and more and soon, a golden-colored energy blast came out and soared towards Bardock.

"HYAH!" Gohan shouted.

Bardock grinned to see the improvement he had made. Bardock then dodged his energy attack by jumping. Gohan slowly tried another time and successfully fired another ki blast. Bardock moved to the side to evade his second one. The half-Saiyan fired three more ki blasts, which he had almost done at a faster speed. The first one, Bardock dodged by ducking his head. He back-flipped the second one. The third one was something that surprised Gohan.

"Rargh!" Bardock placed his hand in front and grabbed the energy blast. He then deflected it and sent it to the skies.

"Woah!" Gohan exclaimed. "How-how did you do that?"

Bardock crossed his arms. "It's easy. Just place your hand in front before the attack hits you, then deflect it. You'll eventually learn it."

"Does it hurt though?" Gohan asked anxiously.

"Kinda, but not so much," Bardock said.

Kami approached the two. "Well done, Gohan. You had greatly improved. It is amazing how you're able to fire energy attacks at such a young age. You have truly great talent."

Gohan smiled. "Really? Thank you so much for your help! I learned a lot. I'd like to learn the Kamehameha like my dad did once."

While Gohan rested and while Bardock resumed his training, Kami decided to stand near the edge of his tower for a while to process his thoughts about his students' progress in their training. His assistant Popo walked near him.

"Hello there, Kami."

"Hello, Mr. Popo. How's the rest doing in their training?"

"They're doing splendid! Their abilities have enhanced and in such a short amount of time. I'm beginning to think our battle coming after a year won't be much of a problem after all."

"I hope so," Kami was in doubt though. If the once-evil Raditz had the potential to kill Goku, imagine the much bigger potential Vegeta and Nappa would carry.

Kami turned around and so did Popo and they both set their eyes on Gohan. The young half-Saiyan's innocent face, sweet nature, and crybaby-ness contradicted to what he was truly inside: a strong, talented, and fearless warrior just like his own father who always fought for what was right. Gohan may not know this yet, but with further training, he may be able to understand.

At Snake Way, Goku was running as fast as he could. The King Yemma's fruit that he ate not too ago still had its magical effects, which was still making him feel full and energized although its effects were beginning to waver a little. Goku hoped the fruit will be enough though to get himself to halfway point of Snake Way.

"Almost there! Just think you're almost there!" Goku said to himself, boosting up his endurance and persistence.

On Planet Earth, deep within a wasteland filled with but only green grass and few trees, dominated mostly by canyons and ravines, the silent Piccolo was training alone under the silence of the day and the coldness of the night. Piccolo was also preparing himself for the two Saiyans since the creature believed he should be the one, not Vegeta and Nappa, to conquer the world. Piccolo wanted to realize his father's wishes.

"But as things look right now, I can't believe I have to team up with Goku's friends," Piccolo snarled. "This is ridiculous. How did I ever get myself in this mess?"

There was no time to get frustrated though since it was only a waste of time. Piccolo was still waiting for Gohan so he could train him. He wondered what was taking him so long. He remembered that Bardock did not really trust him, or at least that was what Piccolo thought he was implying.

"Whatever. I need to get back to my training," Piccolo firmly said.

Piccolo then stood at the edge of a canyon as he listened to the hush sound of the winds. He then gripped his teeth and began to power up. Sooner or later, Piccolo then made two clones of himself. He was about to commence a mirror-image training.

"All right, show me what you got," the original Piccolo said to his other two clones.

In a split second, the three Piccolos then battled each other out. They did grueling and painstaking punches and kicks. They collided with heavy canyons, shattering and tearing its walls. They were battling on land and in the sky non-stop. After that was done, Piccolo thought two clones of himself were not enough for this exercise, so he decided to create three more. Now his training was even more intensifying, he actually liked it.

"All right, this is getting interesting," Piccolo smirked.

The five Piccolos then fought endlessly until the original Piccolo can bring down his four other clones.

The sun was about to set and the Z-fighters were taking a one hour break before they conclude their training. Tien, Yajirobe, Chiaotzu, Raditz, and Bardock remained in Kami's Tower to rest awhile while Yamcha, Krillin, and Gohan were taking a brief walk in the woods just below Kami's Tower as Gohan requested.

"Hey, Chiaotzu, you wanna go take a walk in the woods, too?" asked Tien.

"Nah," Chiaotzu shook his head. "I feel like staying here."

Yajirobe was sitting on the stairs, wiping his nose. He was only waiting for dinner.

Bardock was standing against one of the pillars of Kami's Chambers. With his legs crossed and arms folded, he was meditating in his mind. He was at ease, being at his utmost serenity. He felt out the life forces of his surroundings around him. He stayed tranquil to help him relax and not think about anything; just nothingness.

After a few minutes, he slowly opened his eyes. He saw Raditz who was looking at the pine trees and bushes planted for the tower to make the place warm and welcoming to any visitors. In his eyes though, they were saddened. In his mind was filled with distraught. Bardock knew deep in his son's heart, he still felt lonely and ignored by everybody. Bardock decided to get away from his meditation for a moment to talk to his son in this peaceful time.

"Hey," Bardock caught his attention.

Raditz looked at him slowly and then turned his eyes back to the bushes. "Hey."

"How's your training?" he asked.

Raditz shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I guess."

"I'm sure you learned a lot from Kami," Bardock said.

"A little. So this is what Kakarot's training is like," Raditz said. He then touched the leaves of the bush. "It's a calming training in a way, but within, it's in need of full concentration, energy, and faith."

Bardock chuckled. "Not used to it, huh?"

"I'm beginning to. No wonder Kakarot's so strong inside and out," Raditz chuckled as well. "I think he's a lot better than me when it comes to fighting."

Bardock shook his head. "Don't say that. Both of you have your own unique style of fighting."

Raditz raised his head to look at the skies. "All of my life, Dad, I've trained under the art of killing and power-hungry, but ever since Kakarot was born, he was trained differently. Fighting to him must've been a philosophy, an art of unity, where the body, mind, and soul are combined. I'm sure he was taught that fighting should be used to do good deeds. Even though my power surpasses his, his determination and spiritual strength in battle surpasses mine."

Bardock tried to get what he was trying to say. Was he jealous of his own brother or was he simply talking random topics because he had nothing else to say?

"I wished that I was raised to be good instead of the work of evil," Raditz explained.

Bardock raised an eyebrow. "So Kami's training would be easier for you?"

"In a way, yeah, and also that everyone would just trust me," his son sadly said. Then, a mood swing hit him and he suddenly felt raging fury in his chest. "If only I wasn't evil in the first place, Kakarot would've still been alive! Everyone would've not been so intimidated by me. Everyone would know that-ugh!" he stomped the flooring really hard. Thankfully, it did not break.

Bardock had to roll his eyes for once. "Raditz, I already told you. What's more important is that you've left your evil ways and realized your mistakes and that you've finally changed. I know how you feel."

He then placed a hand on his son's shoulders. His father's touch calmed down his heart.

"I also too felt that way," Bardock said. "I surprised myself when I changed, that I wasn't that same old killer, coldblooded Saiyan I once used to be. I thought that the ones I cared for, who are now long gone, won't see me as their same old friend simply because I changed, but I know up above, they understand. They can still trust me."

Raditz gave a very heavy sigh

"I'm sure in time, Kakarot's friends and everyone else you came to know with will soon trust you," Bardock assured. "In the meantime, just focus on your training."

Raditz's sad frown changed into a weak smile. "Thanks, Father."

"Good," Bardock said.

Down in the forest was where Yamcha, Krillin, and Gohan were taking a stroll.

Krillin stretched his arms out. "It's nice to get some fresh air once in a while, huh, Yamcha?"

"Yeah!" Yamcha breathed in the salubrious air. "It's nice to relax after a hard day's training. So Gohan, I heard you can fire energy blasts now. That's totally cool!"

"Yeah," agreed Krillin. "No one at your age is able to do that. I think you're the very first kid who could've ever done that!"

Gohan was flattered. He scratched his head. "Thanks. It was hard to learn, but I was able to pull through."

"You sure did," Yamcha said. "Maybe next time, I could teach you my 'Wolf Fang Fist' technique! Hyah!" he immediately switched to his stance that appeared like the stance of a wolf. He overlooked his balance though, and as a result, he suddenly fell to the grasses. "Ouch!"

"Hah, hah!" Gohan could not help but laugh.

"Hah! And what'd you call that technique, Yamcha? The 'Wolf Fang Fist of Carelessness'?" Krillin teased him.

Yamcha was very embarrassed. "Dude, that rock over there made me trip. Stupid rock!

The three then laughed together happily. Yamcha stood up while wiping away the leaves and dust on his clothes. Krillin looked up at the skies and saw something on the firmaments of purple and fading blue.

"Oh wow. Look, you guys, it's a full moon," said Krillin.

"Really? Where?" Yamcha saw it as well. "Wow. That's a pretty big moon."

"Where?" Gohan wanted to see the moon, too. When he saw it, he was fascinated to see how beautiful the Earth's Lunar was. "It's so beautiful! I wish I could go to the moon sometime by using a spaceship."

Krillin smiled at him, but then an abrupt, frightening thought came to his head. His heart started to beat rapidly. Krillin took a look at Gohan's back and noticed his tail! Yamcha noticed this as well and was deeply horrified. Both of them had completely forgotten about Gohan's tail and its dangerous potential it wielded.

"What the? No, no! Gohan, don't look at the moon!" Yamcha yelled.

It was too late. Gohan started to feel something inside; a kind of power that was uncontrollable, that wanted to release itself like a monster desiring to escape from its cruel prison for a thousand years. Gohan's breathing became abnormal. His eyes were slowly becoming red. His tail was responding to the moon's power. As a Saiyan, a Saiyan's true power was his or her tail that enabled him or her to transform into something terrible and powerful.

"Gohan, no!" Krillin was about to stop him, but a shockwave was automatically thrust out from Gohan's body that it blew him away.

"Krillin!" Yamcha yelled. Then, his eyes were filled with terror as the worse was about to come.

The young, quiet boy had transformed into a giant Great Ape. His teeth grew sharp and large. His clothes were all torn off. His entire body sprouted brown hair with his face quickly shaping into an ape. Gohan grew ten times more than his original height. His towering, terrifying appearance had Krillin and Yamcha froze to their feet. The Great Ape Gohan roared piercingly throughout the entire forest that it scared the birds away and made the trees tremble.

Yamcha was shaking with fear. "Thi-this was the same thing that happened to G-Goku when he wa-was a li-little kid! It's like living in your own nightmares!"

"We gotta stop him somehow!" Krillin was intimidated.

The monstrous Gohan had gone out of control that he commenced his unexpected destruction and mayhem. He started to destroy the trees, the ground, and everything that was in his way.

In addition to this horrifying scene, rain clouds started to come in and covered up the full moon, which was the only source that was needed to be destroyed in order for Gohan's Great Ape powers to disappear. Soon, it started to rain heavily, making it harder for Krillin and Yamcha to see.

"Darn! We need to cut his tail!" Yamcha said.

Inside Kami's Chambers, which was the first place that started to rain, the Z-warriors were resting inside Kami's headquarters when they heard that piercing roar and cry.

"What's that?" Tien asked as everyone and including himself stood up from their seats in alertness.

Bardock sensed a powerful energy not too far away, but the roar made him realize who caused that. "It's Gohan!"

"Gohan?" Chiaotzu asked.

Yajirobe thought he was crazy and asked him, "How could that be Gohan?"

"It's his tail! That's the cry of a Great Ape," Bardock exclaimed. "He must've transformed. I didn't know it was a full moon today."

Without further explanation, Bardock made his way out of Kami's Lookout and took wing into the skies.

"Wait, Father!" Raditz went with him.

Tien nodded to his friend. "Come on, Chiaotzu. Let's go see what's going on."

"Right!" his friend agreed.

While the rest left, Yajirobe was the only one left behind. He was biting his lip. "Uh, you guys go ahead. I don't wanna waste my energy fighting on some kind of danger now."

Popo and Kami then came in and asked Yajirobe what that deafening sound was. He explained that something happened to Gohan.

When Bardock, Raditz, Tien, and Chiaotzu took flight with rain pouring down on them heavily, the first thing they saw was a giant Great Ape, destroying his surroundings either with his fists or energy beams from his mouth.

"Woah! Is that an ape? It's gigantic!" shouted Tien.

"That's Gohan," Raditz said. "Remember the tail that he had? It's a Saiyan's tail and if a Saiyan looks at a full moon, it enables him or her to transform into a Great Ape. The downfall is that if you're just a child, you will be unable to control yourself once you transformed."

"It's impossible to bother destroying the moon 'cause it's raining," Bardock added. He then felt hesitant in saying this, but he had to say it. "I guess we'll just have to cut his tail off."

He felt ashamed though for proposing this solution because a Saiyan's tail was a Saiyan's source of true power, like Raditz mentioned some time ago, but what choice did Bardock have?

Bardock and Raditz went ahead to stop Great Ape Gohan. Tien and Chiaotzu floated in air for a while, imagining and wondering the more extraordinary powers a single Saiyan must had. They had never seen a Great Ape before, and they must admit that it was terrifying to see one. Tien and Chiaotzu then went ahead with the others.

"RARGH!" Gohan almost hit Krillin and Yamcha with his swinging arms, but the two barely evaded it.

"Look, Yamcha," Krillin caught his attention. "You need to grab his tail somehow and then I'll cut it off with my Destructo Disk."

"You think it'll be that e-easy?" Yamcha panicky yelled as he dodged another one of Gohan's arm attacks.

"Just try!" exclaimed Krillin.

While Krillin tried to distract Gohan by directing his focus to him, Yamcha ran from behind and grabbed Gohan's humongous tail with all his strength and might.

"Hu-hurry, Krillin!" struggled Yamcha.

Krillin began to gather enough energy for a Destructo Disk attack, which was an energy attack used to slice up almost everything whether it be soft or very hard. Great Ape Gohan then felt something tugging his tail. It brought him to anger that he moved his tail up high in order to get rid of the one who was holding it.

"Woah!" Yamcha grabbed onto the tail as tight as he could, his body almost being blown away by the power of the winds. It almost felt like being in a roller coaster where it had just reached the peak and then suddenly made its diving drop.

Great Ape Gohan then moved his tail back to the ground.

"WAAH!" Yamcha screamed and he was about to collapse heavily with the soil until someone saved him just in time.

Great Ape Gohan looked up and the next thing he knew, he saw a shining light of aura and then felt a strong, forceful kick to his face. Great Ape Gohan fell on his back while Bardock surfaced on the ground with his two feet.

"Good thing it's raining," Bardock said, "or else, everyone would be dealing with two more extra apes," he referred to himself and his son Raditz since both of them also have tails.

"Huh?" Yamcha opened an eye and then saw Raditz in front of him. "Huh, Raditz?"

"You okay?" Raditz asked while keeping his eyes on Gohan.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Yamcha replied, but rather with a query-like sound in the end.

Great Ape Gohan stood back to his two feet. He growled and roared again. His eyes then locked onto Tien and Chiaotzu.

"Huh?" Tien and Chiaotzu were unaware what he was going to do next.

Gohan opened his mouth and fired a sudden, white energy beam from his own throat. The two friends did not know what to do until Raditz again came to the rescue and moved them away from the beam just in time.

"You guys need to be careful! It's too dangerous!" Raditz warned them.

Tien and Chiaotzu did not reply, but were rather surprised that he saved them.

The gigantic ape continued to fire energy beams, particularly at Bardock who was his next target. Bardock dodged the first one by flying to his left. The second energy beam almost hit him, but Bardock suddenly teleported in front of the ape and sent him a strong uppercut on his face.

Tien stood up. "We need to help out. Come on, Chiaotzu!"

Their plan was that Chiaotzu would come up to Gohan and distract him, which he successfully did. As Great Ape Gohan focused on the little kid and decided to attack him with his own bare hands, Chiaotzu suddenly closed his eyes and then Tien teleported behind his friend, placed his fingers on his forehead, and yelled,

"Solar Flare!"

Like what Goku did against Chilled, blinding white lights dispersed and they directly hit Gohan's eyes, making his vision temporarily blurred. This kind of Solar Flare was different because one usually needed a sun in order to perform this move, but Tien used up his own energy to do this technique. The only side-effect was that this kind of Solar Flare was weaker, short-lived, and would not be as much effective compared to the Solar Flare with the power from the sun, but Tien hoped this will give them enough time to cut Gohan's tail and bring him back to his original form.

When Gohan felt the terrible pain hurting his eyes, he uncontrollably fired more energy beams from his mouth to release his fury and rage. They destroyed more trees along with his stomping feet, causing a quake to the ground.

Then, Yamcha got up from the ground while Bardock and Raditz busied themselves giving Gohan slight pain to make him weakened. Yamcha ran as fast as he could, avoiding Gohan's tail attacks. At the right moment, Yamcha grabbed Gohan's tail once again with all his might and strength and yelled, "Do it now, Krillin!"

Krillin knew it was his signal. He raised his right hand and soon, a disk with razor-sharp edges was formed. "Destructo Disk!" he threw it, hoping it will hit and slice off his tail. It was a success!

The tail was cut and the Great Ape Gohan instantly fell silent. His power then began to weaken every second. He slowly turned back to his original human form and soon, there laid the young Gohan on the grasses, sleeping soundlessly.

Yamcha opened an eye and realized he was still holding onto the gigantic tail, but after seeing the muscles and bones inside of it, he instantly let go of it in disgust. "Eew! Gross!"

The tail also went back to its smaller size and vanished into thin air.

Yamcha felt relieved, yet terrified at the same time. "I hope this doesn't happen again!"

"Good thing we stopped him," Chiaotzu said. "It could've escalated into bigger problem!"

"Come on, let's get out of the rain," Bardock told everyone.

Back at Kami's Tower, Gohan was put in his own bedroom to rest for a while. He was also given some night pajamas to keep him warm from the cold rain. The Z-fighters told Kami and Mr. Popo about what happened to Gohan. Their story had Kami remember about Goku when he was a little kid.

"I knew his tail was something that needed to get rid of or else it would pose a serious threat. So, I took it off and since then, Goku's tail never grew back," Kami said.

_"That explains why,"_ Raditz said in his mind, his questions now being answered as to why he never saw his brother's tail.

"It actually grew back once," Krillin told him, "before Goku met you, Kami."

"Yeah, it was during a tournament," Yamcha added. "I gotta tell you, it was full moon on that day and when he transformed, it was horrifying! Good thing that Goku's opponent called 'Jackie Chun' blasted the moon just in time."

At Kame House, while Master Roshi was reading some magazines, he suddenly sneezed.

"Achoo! Oh gosh, someone's talking about me again," Master Roshi wiped his nose.

The truth was Jackie Chun was actually Master Roshi himself, just in disguise. He entered the World Martial Arts Tournament so he could test Krillin's and Goku's skills.

Back at Kami's Lookout, Bardock was thinking. He knew that the tail was the trademark for a Saiyan. If someone were to look at a Saiyan, he or she would quickly identify that the creature _is_ a Saiyan one-hundred percent guaranteed because of the tail. Bardock was a little disappointed that Goku's tail had to go away because it was one of those significant facets of a pure-blooded Saiyan, but since almost the entire Saiyan race was long gone, it did not really matter to him anymore. He would not expect every single living creature to know what a Saiyan was.

He felt quite ashamed though that he had to make the decision of slicing off Gohan's tail, but then again, what choice did he have? It was either cut his tail or let many innocent lives be destroyed.

Krillin was staring at Gohan for a while. "Dang, and in the end, he just sleeps as if nothing happened."

"He will never be able to remember anything once he wakes up," Bardock seriously said. "Don't talk to him about this, okay?"

"What if he asks about his missing tail? What should we tell him?" Krillin asked.

Bardock thought for a while. "Then just tell him...it's a part of a Saiyan growing up and so they all have to lose their tails at some point."

Krillin raised an eyebrow since he noticed Bardock's own tail wrapped around his waist. "Well, what if Gohan asks about _your_ tail?"

Bardock had completely forgotten about that. "Aah...uh...well, then tell him that only pure-blooded Saiyans keep their tails forever. I guess that's okay."

Everyone then had a cheerful mirth since they knew it was only a lie, but who would want to tell Gohan the truth about his missing tail because he transformed into a horrendous Great Ape monster that almost destroyed an entire forest, perhaps the entire place, and so it was imperative that his tail needed to be cut?

Raditz smiled to hear their joyful laughter together, but he knew he was still out of the picture. No one still wanted to be around him. He was about to leave until something happened that he did not intend to happen.

"Hey Raditz."

He turned around and it appeared to be Krillin who just talked to him.

"Y-yeah?" Raditz answered, wondering why he was talking to him even though he, and the rest of his friends, still saw him as an enemy.

"Thanks for..." Krillin paused for a moment and then smiled, "...saving us. If it weren't for you, we would've been crushed already by Gohan's Great Ape."

Raditz was flabbergasted. He tried to say something. Before he could speak, Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu also expressed their gratitude.

"Thanks a whole lot. You're pretty strong actually," Tien said.

"Yeah," Yamcha agreed. "I couldn't anticipate the attacks with my own eyes. They were so hard to follow. Perhaps you can teach us sometime how to do that."

"Yeah!" Chiaotzu agreed. "That way, we can be stronger. What do you think, Yajirobe?"

Yajirobe was eating some dumplings, but he nodded and said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I guess we can do it for once."

The shocked Saiyan could not say a thing at all. It almost felt like so many years he had been wishing for his fellow allies to trust him that he was a good person at heart. Then, all of a sudden, like a wish being granted with just a finger snap, everyone had finally came to trust him. Raditz had nothing to say at this point, but this.

"Sure. I'll teach you anything that you all want me to teach you. I'll be happy to oblige," Raditz smiled.

Krillin then asked him a favor. "Don't mind if we also spar together? It's been a long time since I fought my best friend Goku and since you're his brother, I'm guessing you have equal strength."

Raditz was once again stunned, but he said that he did not mind and that he was more than happy to fight Krillin and be his sparring partner.

The Z-fighters continued to socialize with Raditz while Raditz was thanking so much in his mind that his allies finally believed him. Kami and Mr. Popo were also glad that their students had learned to trust and understand each other. Bardock grinned to see his son finally being recognized of his good deeds and change of heart.

_"Heh, I told you. It just takes time, that's all,"_ Bardock said in his mind.

The next early morning, while everyone was still asleep, Bardock was up early. He was meditating near the rim of Kami's Tower. His mind was at deep concentration and while his heart and mind were at ease, Bardock received another vision in his head. It almost frightened him from his calm state of mind since it had been a long time since he had received visions. Most of them were almost frightening and questionable, but they all shared one thing and that they were significant. They would help the user in preparing for the future.

But this particular vision though was something not horrendous, but in a way, warm-hearted.

"What's this?" Bardock whispered.

What he saw was a green alien creature, sitting beside a fire, his back against a boulder, with a sleeping child beside of him who was once of no importance because he could not fight, but after being taught the significance of fighting as well as the meaning of life, the kid was now strong inside and out filled with decisiveness, his mind set at the right direction along with his heart containing a lot of faith and understanding, and in addition, the young child now having the power fight to protect his beloved ones and everyone he cared for. The green alien creature, who was once ambitious, unpredictable, and malevolent, who was indifferent about the world and who only cared for his own selfish, wrong doings, finally now had a soft, compassionate heart that was once like an unbreakable stone because it was beginning to comprehend the true meaning behind life. In this vision, the creature softly stroke the boy's forehead with his hand, moving the hair that was on his face. For the first time in the green creature's life, he felt friendship and goodness in his heart thanks to this boy who indirectly taught him about the uprightness of life.

The vision ended. Bardock opened his eyes. In his head, he pictured Piccolo who claimed to be the only one who should conquer Earth and the one who swore he will have his revenge on Goku soon. Picturing more of his face, Bardock started to chuckle lightly under his breath.

"Heh, heh...hah, hah...ah, hah, hah!" Bardock's faint chuckle slowly turned into laughter. He could not help it because the vision he just received today implied that Piccolo was not so bad after all. Bardock then held his breath. He placed his hand on his forehead and ran it down until it was at the bottom of his chin.

"Oh, Piccolo! I knew there's some good in you," Bardock laughed. "Oh well, that's good to know. It's about time you stop acting so stuffy and serious. Say goodbye to your tyrannical-like desires and say hello to the new you. Hah, hah, hah!"

He continued to laugh heartily. His sudden mirth had Krillin and Yamcha wake up from their slumber, making them both feel nervous about what was happening to Bardock.

"Is he all right?" Krillin asked.

"Why is he talking to himself?" Yamcha said.

And Bardock continued to laugh happily, not having a care in the world.


	21. One Last Training

Episode 21

One Last Training

At Kami's Lookout, Kami's students had dramatically progressed and enhanced their skills. It was almost strange to Kami because it felt like yesterday that his students were progressing at a slow pace, but now, everyone was training more rigorously than ever. Everyone was also learning faster. Kami assumed it was because the Z-warriors had finally trusted Raditz; thus, they learned to understand each other's feelings and needs, which will strengthen the warriors' bonding and friendship. This was great news for the Guardian of Earth considering his students needed the confidence and improvement in order to prepare for their battle soon.

And as for Gohan and his long-gone tail?

After the day when Gohan transformed into a Great Ape, when he stepped out from his bed, the first thing that happened was that he lost balance and fell flat on his face.

"Ow! That's strange," Gohan looked up. "I feel kinda off-balance."

Gohan stood up again and tried to walk, but his feet were a bit wobbly, having to do extra work just walking. After a few more steps, he fell again.

"Yaw! Uh, what's going on?" asked Gohan. He sat up this time and placed his arms on his back. It was then he realized something was missing. He turned his head and noticed his tail was gone. "Aah! My tail! Where's my tail?"

The young boy was worried that he quickly sought for Krillin. Once he found him, he asked him anxiously about his tail. Krillin explained to him the reason that Bardock gave him since he had to avoid telling him the real truth of what happened a day ago. Once Krillin provided an explanation to his question, Gohan still felt disappointed of losing his tail.

"But I need to get used to it now. It'll be hard though," he added. When he started to walk away again, he fell flat on his face once more.

"Eh, careful," Krillin said.

Gohan was then given new clothes; clothes that were very similar to what Goku wore; his signature blue and orange uniform.

A few days had passed, and like what Raditz had said, he was sparring with Krillin along with Tien and Yamcha. It was a three against one battle, but even with their powers combined, it was hard to take Raditz down. Krillin gave a punch while Tien and Yamcha simultaneously delivered sidekicks. Raditz blocked all of their attacks with his arms and legs and then he thrust out a force field from his body that blew the three Z-fighters away.

Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin slid on the floor, but they proceeded to attack him head-on by dashing towards him at full speed. Raditz disappeared before they even had the chance to hit him and soon, Raditz fired a massive energy blast at the three. Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin were almost caught in the blast, however, they counterattacked by firing their own energy blasts. Raditz instead vanished at the blink of an eye and elbow struck Yamcha and Krillin. After the elbow strike, he "reversed" back-flipped in air and struck Tien on his back with a falling axe kick. The Z-warriors maintained their balance and resurfaced on the floor. Raditz took this chance to attack them again until Krillin started to say.

"Hold on, hold on!"

Raditz immediately stopped and asked, "Huh? What's wrong?"

Krillin tried to regain his breath. "Wow, Raditz, you're really good, but take it easy! We're only Earthlings, you know."

"Yeah," Yamcha agreed. "Your kind of training is very demanding. I could barely keep up with you."

Raditz relaxed his power within him. "Oh really? Sorry 'bout that."

Tien approached him. "Man, you're really strong. So this is what it feels like fighting a Saiyan, huh? I have to admit, it's not really all that bad after all the training we did with Kami."

Krillin came up to Tien and whispered to him. "Don't be ridiculous. Raditz's just taking it easy on us and we're already struggling! Imagine if he goes full power on us."

Tien felt nervous just thinking of that.

Raditz put his head down and decided to give them a heads-up about his two comrades, Vegeta and Nappa. "You all must know that this is only the beginning. Even if I were to take it seriously, it's nothing compared to my comrades who are coming to Earth after a year. They're even more powerful than me."

Krillin gulped very hard. "Wow, are you sure? So after all the training we did, it's still not enough?"

Yamcha tried to calm him down. "Hey, it's only been a month and some weeks. Don't expect the worse already. We still have plenty of time left to strengthen ourselves."

"Yamcha's right," Tien said. "At least we can do is train hard and fight the two Saiyans and buy us enough time until Goku arrives."

Raditz thought of his little brother. He wanted to ask something to Goku's friends. "If you don't mind me asking, what's so special about-"

"-Goku?" Krillin finished for him. He smiled. "Goku has always been the strongest fighter who could've ever lived at the face of this planet. He fought every battle he could possibly encounter here. He always grows stronger within every fight. He had abnormal strength for a kid. We had always thought he was a mere Earthling who had supernatural powers and a tail, but when you came, Raditz, and explained that he was a Saiyan, it's no wonder why Goku's so strong both in and out."

Yamcha then added, "So in times of crisis, in times where victory seems unlikely, Goku always steps in and finishes the job. For some reason, whenever you're near him, you know everything is gonna be just fine."

Raditz thought in his mind that his brother had great reputation here on this planet. He was highly-respected by his friends and by a lot of people who came to know him, yet Goku's carefree, happy-go-lucky, and almost innocent-like nature veiled the true, incredible strength within him because the ones who engaged themselves in a fight with Goku will always thought he was inferior, that his innocent-like face cannot save him and that he was weak, but once Goku had landed his first strike on his opponent, it quickly revealed of what he was truly inside, his strong determination and perseverance that said he will protect his planet no matter what. The forever smile on his face though will always confuse his enemies. They would always think his smile meant he was ready to be defeated or he had an ambitious plan up in his sleeves that will make victory his. In summary, Goku was a very mysterious and yet powerful, blissful fighter who was full of surprises.

Raditz looked up at the blue skies. He was proud of his little brother and he will try his best to become just like him.

That same day, around afternoon, the Z-warriors were taking an hour break. Raditz was staring at the skies while Bardock was sitting around in the corner. Bardock then stood up and approached his son. Without having to get his attention, Raditz felt him coming.

"Hey, Dad," he said.

"Now, how's training going for you?" asked Bardock.

Raditz stood up and nodded eagerly. "It's going great. Kakarot's friends are not bad either," he paused for a second and asked a question. "How's Gohan by the way?"

Bardock crossed his arms. "Gohan? He's a strong boy indeed," he turned around and stared at the kid for a little while who was talking to Chiaotzu and Yajirobe. Bardock then said, "You could tell that he _is_ Kakarot's son. He has great potential. He has the capability of becoming a fighter just like his own father."

"Well, that's good to know, but there's still a problem and that is he doesn't trust me still," Raditz was a little disappointed, but not that much. "I tried talking to him once, but I needed to leave him alone because the boy was shaking too much from fear."

As he stared more into the innocent eyes of his nephew, Raditz chuckled a little. "Heh, it's my fault. I was a bad uncle."

Bardock did not comment, but instead finally announced what he will now do to Gohan in terms of his progression in training. "Well, you two get along pretty soon because I'm ready to hand Gohan to Piccolo in just a week's time or so."

A spark of alertness clicked on Raditz. He asked his father if he was crazy of making such an impulsive decision.

"I'm not insane and I'm definitely not impulsive. I'm telling the truth," he scolded him a little. "I feel Gohan has improved very much. Besides, a warrior like him needs special training. He needs that kind where he can release all of his full power. He needs a special mentor and I feel that Piccolo is the best teacher."

Raditz turned to face his father. "But did you remember what Kakarot said? That so-called Piccolo is still a bad guy. What makes you think we could trust him? Who knows what he'll do to him."

Bardock bit his lip. He wanted to tell his son that he had seen the future and that particular vision he saw convinced him that Piccolo's heart was capable of changing into good. He believed though that he should keep his special ability, the ability to see the future, as a secret for now. He believed it was not the time yet for his son to discover the truth.

Bardock instead said something else. "Raditz, you would doubt your own father? I know what I'm talking about. I'll talk to Kami about this manner. In the meantime, you and Gohan get along. I'm going."

A sudden mood swing suddenly struck him, and Bardock left without another word, leaving his son bewildered of this strange, new behavior he had seen today. His father, he knew, used to be straightforward in his answers, but now it looked like he was hesitant to say some things to him. Raditz watched as his father left and entered Kami's Chambers. While his eyes followed him, he noticed that Chiaotzu appeared in front of him.

"Hi there, Raditz," greeted Chiaotzu.

"Hey there," he greeted back.

Chiaotzu smiled. "I've been meaning to ask this for a long time, but what's that device on your eye?"

"Oh...? This?" Raditz told him it was a scouter.

"What's that?" the child asked.

"It's used to detect and calculate a power level of a being," answered Raditz. "It's also used for communication."

Chiaotzu was already fascinated to hear a device so advanced. "That's really cool! I wonder what my power level is."

"Me too," Krillin then joined in. "Goku told me once that you used it to check his energy level and also Piccolo's."

Even Yamcha and Tien became interested as well to know what their power levels were. Yajirobe was the only one who was only interested in eating food, of course.

Gohan was at the flight of stairs, looking at his uncle along with all of his father's friends. It appeared that they have finally come to trust him, but the young boy was still a tad bit anxious just being around his uncle. He may have a change of heart, which was a definite fact, but there were no warm-hearted memories between them. Every time he looked his face, even just a glance, the first memory that will come to his mind was Raditz's evil face and what he had brutally done to Goku, his father. A part of Gohan said this, but also a part of him tried to convince the young warrior that his uncle was now a changed man that should start to get along with him.

He looked at the marbled floor and thought about his father for a while. Every day, he missed him. All he wanted really was his father to come back home.

Inside Kami's Headquarters, while Popo was pouring tea for Kami, Kami was standing near his window as he was listening to Bardock who was speaking to him about handing Gohan to Piccolo for the rest of the year for training purposes.

"I feel like we've already trained him everything he needs to know," Bardock said. He then rubbed his chin. "Not to mention, Gohan is not the crybaby he used to be before...I hope. Heh, heh. I mean, he's becoming a strong fighter every day."

Kami asked him a question. Why did he want to hand Gohan to Piccolo then if he was already learning a lot from the Z-warriors? Bardock replied Gohan was the kind of Saiyan, a half-Saiyan rather, who had potential that was very different from his own father. Even if he, his own grandfather, would teach him all the fighting skills, he was afraid the hidden power within him would not wake itself still. Gohan needed a special mentor who can help him bring out his full potential in battle, and Bardock thought that Piccolo was the one who can help the young boy. A special warrior will need a special teacher.

"We may need Gohan's help. I know he can become one of us, especially his own father," Bardock continued.

Kami thought about it for a moment. He held his crutch. He and Piccolo were complete opposites; Piccolo being a manifestation of his evil side and so his intentions in life were always filled with malice. Actually, Kami's "original" evil side was King Piccolo, the father of Piccolo whom had wished from the eternal dragon to be granted youth so he could regain a tremendous amount of strength to take over the world. His plans were thwarted, however, when Kid Goku stepped in and finished him off with every last bit of his strength. Before King Piccolo died, he asked his son, who was still inside an egg shell, unable to talk and see what was happening to his own father, but was able to hear his father's last death wish, to seek revenge on Goku. When Piccolo hatched from his shell, he swore to seek vengeance on the one who defeated his father. When both he and Goku became adults, they battled with each other in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, but Piccolo lost to Goku after a grueling, painstaking battle. Before Piccolo left, he vowed he will return with newly improved powers to beat Goku and finally realize his father's wishes.

Piccolo was a fearless, serious warrior who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, but then, since he was the half of Kami, the opposite of him, the good and compassionate side of him, Piccolo was capable of becoming good himself. In fact, for the past few days, Kami had been watching Piccolo from his tower and he was not sure if he was actually hallucinating, but since his alliance with Goku in order to beat the once-evil Raditz, since his decision of forcing himself to team up with Earth's Z-warriors in order to prepare for their battle with Vegeta and Nappa, and since his willingness to train the young Gohan, Kami began to see a change in him.

Bardock stood behind the Guardian of Earth, patiently waiting for his response. As he waited, he looked around the room and checked out its dimmed surroundings of tranquility and mystery. Bardock could sense this room held some kind of a secretive past. The place had a lot of untold stories to tell and he was curious to know what these tales were.

Kami moved his head to focus his vision on the ceiling. Bardock's attention was caught. Before he asked him what his decision was, Kami turned around and gave him a smile. Kami believed once that Bardock was just another evil alien who came to Earth and planned to destroy it, but seeing how he and Goku both shared the same resemblance, the same attitude, and the same traits which assured people they were trustworthy enough, Kami finally agreed with Bardock that Gohan should be handed to Piccolo since they both felt Piccolo was the only being who could help Gohan bring out his full potential.

That evening, when the Z-warriors were taking a nap, Gohan just stepped out from Kami's Chambers to get some fresh air. While he happily sprinted from one step of the short staircase to another, he stopped instantly to see someone had already gone outside before him.

"Who's that?" Gohan whispered. He moved closer to get a better look. He hid behind the pillar. He peaked and realized it was Raditz. "What?"

Raditz was training alone. He was almost giving lightning-fast kicks and punches that Gohan could not see all of them. After Raditz gave multiples of punches, he jumped, slid his body back and gave a fading roundhouse kick. After the kick, he back-flipped and went for a flying sidekick. He back-flipped another time and gave a quick sweeping kick on the floor, followed by a set of punches again. In the end, he did a powerful palm strike, and then jumped, and instantly delivered a tremendous hook kick in the end, leaving a trail of aura and a lightning spark in the end.

Gohan was purely amazed. No words could describe how surprised he was.

Raditz relaxed for a moment. He placed his hands on his hips. He needed to work on his flexibility since he was slightly struggling with his balance. He then looked up at the skies to admire the beauty of the night. All of a sudden, he sensed someone behind him. As a reaction, he turned around and caught Gohan before Gohan could hide from him.

"Gohan?" Raditz made sure it was him.

Gohan gulped hard and showed himself from the shadows of the darkness. "H-hi there."

Raditz wanted to approach him, but he stopped, keeping in mind that his nephew was still afraid being around him. He kept some distance apart between them.

"I didn't expect you to be here. Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Raditz asked.

"...I should, right?" Gohan said, looking away from him. They both paused for a moment and then he asked his uncle, "What are you doing?"

"Just doing some last minute training before going to bed."

"Ooh..."

And again, they stayed quiet. Around Gohan, the tension in his atmosphere was quite high. The boy was still too anxious to talk to his uncle.

Raditz tried to warm up to him just a bit more. He folded his arms and switched to another topic. "I heard from your grandfather that...you're going to train with Piccolo soon."

Gohan felt his heart jumped to his throat. "Wha-what? Why would Grandpa say something like that? I thought Piccolo was still a bad guy. I couldn't possibly train with him."

"I thought of the same thing," Raditz also agreed with him, "but you could never doubt your own grandfather considering he's the most trustworthy person you could've ever met."

"R-really?" asked Gohan, rubbing his hands together.

"He always knows what he's saying. I know him," Raditz found himself slightly smiling. "He's only doing what's best for everybody. He makes wise decisions. He's a good father."

Gohan happened to look at the eyes that were turned away from him, whose focus was on the flooring instead. For a second there, Raditz's eyes glistened with hope, a kind of shine that told Gohan it was about time he trusted him and accepted him as his true uncle.

"My dad is like that too," Gohan looked down on the floor and smiled.

Raditz thought of Goku.

Gohan nodded. "...my daddy is the best there is. I would never doubt him in any way, just like Grandpa Bardock. If Grandpa knows that I must train with Piccolo, then I'll do it. I know he's only doing what's best for me. I'd like to help my daddy's friends with our battle against the two aliens that will come to Earth soon. I'd like to fight beside them. I want to make my daddy proud."

Raditz cannot help but smile at the young warrior's already matured way of thinking. "That's the spirit."

"Besides, I don't think Piccolo is not much of a bad guy," added Gohan. "Ever since he teamed up with my daddy, I feel there's some good in him."

His uncle also agreed with his statement. The tension between them was immediately going down; the bond ship between uncle and nephew was already going strong.

"Since you'll be leaving soon to Piccolo, could I...train you a little bit?" asked Raditz.

Gohan bit his lip. The fear in him went back, but not that much anymore. "Train with you?"

"Just for five minutes. Don't worry. I'll take it easy on you," assured Raditz.

Should he go ahead then? The anxiety within him, the memories about the once-evil Raditz who tried to destroy the Earth, he still cannot shake out from his mind, but he knew he must stop feeling like this. His uncle was a changed man now with a pure heart just like his own father. Gohan stopped being so frightened and tried to focus on the present. Gohan slowly stood up and nodded.

"Okay."

Raditz and Gohan then stood at the center of the tower. Raditz waited for his nephew to attack first since he did not want to take the initiative or it would only frighten him more. Gohan tried to remember all the training he did with Kami and Bardock. He should gather all what he had learned and put it on the test to his brief training with Raditz. Gohan really wanted to make his father proud.

Gohan leaped in air and gave a battle yell. He drew his right arm back for an attack. Raditz's face became serious, prepared to battle with him. Gohan then gave a strong punch in which Raditz blocked by crossing his arms. Gohan's attacks were strong for a young child, Raditz thought. The young boy then did a turning sidekick while still floating in air. Raditz this time evaded it by moving his head. Gohan surfaced, bent his arms together, and decided to go all-out on him. The young warrior gave rapid punches and kicks. Raditz was evading all of his attacks. He sensed Gohan's strength heightening to new levels. For a young kid like him, he was already showing what he was capable of as a warrior. Bardock was right in saying he had a type of special power none of them possessed.

When Gohan gave a straight punch, he did not realize that Raditz had gotten behind him. Gohan did not know what to do at this point. As a result, Raditz pushed him back with a light kick and made him tumble on the floor. Raditz thought he hurt his nephew a little too much, but he was surprised to see Gohan was back on his two feet without a slight frown or tear. Gohan placed his hands in front and tried to gather energy.

"Hmm?" Raditz looked up.

Gohan took a while to fire an energy blast, but a blinking light soon formed from his palms and he successfully launched a ki wave. Raditz stood there and deflected it with his own hands. He advanced towards Gohan, challenging him to think what he should do next and quickly. Raditz then noticed his nephew jumped high. He spun and tried to give a fast sidekick, but his uncle blocked it with his left hand. Gohan moved back, bounced when his two feet touched the floor, and gave a straight, flying sidekick this time to his stomach. Gohan was quick at that time so he caught his uncle off-guard, but since Raditz was only taking the fight easily, it was understandable why this was the case. The kick landed a very good force power on his stomach that Raditz was pushed back a little.

Gohan laughed and smiled to know how much he had improved. His short celebration was taken advantage by Raditz for he suddenly teleported near Gohan's left side and gave a roundhouse kick. Almost like an involuntary action, Gohan surprisingly blocked his attack with his left arm though it hurt which could give him quite a bruise. Raditz was surprised that Gohan was keeping his alertness intact. The young boy moved back and fired another ki blast. Raditz deflected it again.

"Hyah!" Gohan boosted a little bit of his energy and decided to attack his uncle again non-stop. This time, they both battled in air.

Gohan's fast-paced attacks almost created small winds from his fists. His fast-paced kicks almost sliced the air. While Raditz was dodging his attacks, his level of seriousness began to escalate. His nephew was already learning how to be a well offensive and defensive fighter. Raditz thought he should turn up the heat a little bit more to challenge him.

In Gohan's mind, he was thinking that his uncle was a skilled warrior in terms of speed and defense, but again, since he was only taking the exercise easy on him, imagine if his uncle were to go full power.

As Gohan did his last punch, Raditz instantly disappeared. The young warrior tried to search for him, but his mind was too distracted that he could not concentrate. Raditz then appeared and punched him on the cheek, catching him off-guard. Gohan fell to the floor, but dashed back to give a striking elbow strike to his face. Raditz moved his head just in time to evade the attack, but the young warrior followed up with a soaring punch, yet Raditz grabbed his fist tightly.

"Huh?" Gohan did not know what to do now.

"Hyah!" Raditz then lifted up Gohan, placed his right foot on his stomach, and kicked him, making him fall to the floor again. Gohan felt even more pain from this attack. As he struggled to get up, Raditz launched a ki blast of his own.

"WAAH!" the fear already took over Gohan. Instead of trying to skillfully and gracefully evade the blast, he ducked down with his hands over his head. His teeth were chattering and he was shaking.

"G-Gohan?" Raditz tried to get his focus back.

Gohan looked up. His eyes were filled with dread. "That was so scary! Please don't do that again!"

Raditz realized he was taking this too seriously on his nephew. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to. I need to learn how to control myself sometimes."

The full-Saiyan was saddened because he knew he blew it, thinking he had made Gohan lose his trust towards him. Fighting to Raditz had always been a serious routine, a kind where he did not hold back on anything, even if it meant training with his own family, but he had forgotten that Gohan was just a young kid.

"I'm sorry," was all Raditz could say. He turned around with a disheartened heart, but Gohan unexpectedly called him in a way that shocked him.

"Wa-wait! Uncle!"

Raditz stopped dead in his tracks. He quickly turned around and looked at him straight in his eyes. He saw some tears from them, but Gohan quickly wiped them away to try to prove he was strong and not a crybaby anymore.

"You're-you're really strong, Uncle Raditz," he stuttered with a smile. He was slowly getting up from his feet.

"Uh...!" Raditz quickly ran to his nephew to help him get up. When they looked at each other's eyes, deep trust and sympathy were finally formed between them. Gohan and Raditz both beamed.

Raditz had finally given the one last training that Gohan needed. Gohan had finally learned how to remain strong in battle, but the one major thing that Gohan came to accept at this moment was that Raditz was a changed man, a man whose intentions in life were good and true, and a man whose name was Raditz, Gohan's true and loving uncle.


	22. New Teachers

Episode 22

New Teachers

"Huh?" Krillin was walking around Kami's Lookout until he spotted Yajirobe meditating near one of the pillars. Krillin pouted and said to him, "Hey, Yajirobe, you've been meditating for almost all morning now! Why not get a workout with your muscles?"

Yajirobe opened an eye and snorted. He gave a useless excuse. "Feh! Who cares? Meditatin' is the only way to make myself stronger."

Krillin rolled his eyes. "And what are you actually thinking while you're doing that?"

Yajirobe twitched his eyebrow and gulped hard.

Krillin snapped his fingers. "I know. You're thinking about food, eh? Hah! Just a suggestion to you, if you wanna survive from the battle that will come in about a year, at least do some visual training instead of eating like a pig!"

"Me? A pig? You callin' me a pig?" Yajirobe blurted out.

"Hey, just joking!" Krillin giggled nervously, but it was the truth though.

Yajirobe got up and drew out his sword. He chased him around and tried to attack Krillin with it.

"Aah! Run!" Krillin ran away as fast as he could, and Yajirobe was going all out now. Both of the Z-fighters chased each other all over Kami's Lookout.

A stream of sweat appeared on Kami's forehead while Popo just stared blankly.

"You're gonna regret what you said!" yelled Yajirobe.

Krillin answered back, "I'm just kidding, Yajirobe! Honestly!"

Bardock had just come out from Kami's Chamber after eating a delicious meal of breakfast. He stopped instantly before accidentally bumping into Yajirobe and Krillin who he had just realized they were playing a game of "cat and mouse." He stared blankly at them for a moment and then said in a whisper, "What are those two doing?"

The Saiyan warrior then glanced to his left and his eyes widened when he saw Raditz and Gohan socializing with each other. He smiled at the thought that they had finally gotten along.

About a week had passed and tomorrow, two months would have passed. Today was Gohan's last day with the Z-fighters before going off to train with Piccolo. Everyone was informed about it; though some were not all right with it, they knew it was the best for the son of Goku.

Kami approached Raditz and Gohan and talked to them for a while.

"Gohan, today is your last day with us," he reminded him. "How do you feel?"

Gohan was very nervous. He rubbed his hands together and nervously smirked. "A little uneasy, but I'll get used to it."

"That's what I like to hear," smiled Kami. He stood up straight and gazed at the horizons for a while. "You see, Gohan, you have learned everything you need to know under my power. It is time for Piccolo to take over and train you this time. We believe a fine boy like you who wields a special power deserves to have a special mentor who can help you bring out your full potential."

Gohan was moved by his short speech. His words truly meant that Kami and the rest were all counting on him. They all needed his help for the impending battle. Gohan was anxious though because he knew for a fact that he had to be away from his father's friends, brother, and father for the next ten months. He was deeply worried if he was ready for this at all; this kind of training where it was between master and student, one-by-one.

Raditz suddenly gave a soft pat on his nephew's back, catching his attention.

"You'll be all right. Don't worry," he said with a slight smile.

The boy's heart felt at least relieved to know that he will never be alone even though him and his friends and family were many distances apart.

At the seemingly, almost never-ending Snake Way, Goku continued to run on it. The past few weeks, he had done nothing but run. He had only given himself short breaks in between, and King Yemma's fruits effects had already wavered. As a result, the heavy weight of fatigue was straining Goku's shoulders again. Goku realized he needed to stop for a moment to catch his breath.

"Wow! I'm so tired!" he panted. He sat down and decided to give himself a short break, or perhaps a nap, before resuming his journey. So many thoughts circled his head at this point. Aside from thinking about the type of training he will receive from King Kai, he also wondered how everyone was doing on Earth. The only one thing that concerned him was if there were any possible enemies that might arrive on his home planet. He hoped with all his heart no one was targeting Earth.

As he tried to get rid all of his worries, ensuring himself that everyone was fine and well, he suddenly thought of Raditz and Bardock. Even though he had always denied the fact they were his true brother and father, despite of their obvious, uncanny resemblance, his mind was beginning to have second thoughts. He first thought of Raditz, the first enemy to had ever inflicted such excruciating pain on him than any other enemy he had encountered throughout his fighting years, but then had a brief change of heart because of the amnesia he caught, but turned into a vicious and ominous fighter again who went back to killing others, but right before Goku died from Raditz's deadly finisher, he saw a luster of realization and goodness in them that conveyed his heart had finally been brought to the morality of life. Goku knew at that point, or at least wished, Raditz was already a changed man. In his heart, he sensed no danger in him anymore.

Then, he thought of Bardock. Their strong resemblance was truly a giveaway of what their relationship was between them, but regardless of the similar appearance, Goku was not sure if he should believe that Bardock was his real father.

So many doubts filled his mind that they sometimes gave him a headache. Recalling about Raditz telling him about his true background, that he actually came from a group of space warriors of abomination called the "Saiyans," who took delight in killing other creatures to show how superior they were and to also satisfy their Saiyan pride, Goku was held in deep disbelief. If he was supposed to be a killer Saiyan in the first place, then why was he good at heart? Why was he living on Earth, caring about everyone in the world and saving the Earth from evil forces as he strove hard to keep peace and harmony reign forever because he cared about the people, his friends and family? After what Raditz had told him of the Saiyan nature that supposed to have stayed in his younger brother, one thing for sure, Goku will never abandon and betray the current life he had, his life filled with magical journeys, endless adventures, loving family, and fantastic friends, and also his lifelong obligation of keeping everyone from harm's way, because some brother of his ordered him to act like a killer Saiyan because he had the blood of it rushing through his veins. He was told that if he did not act like this, he would then be punished for disgracing the Saiyan name. Sometimes, Goku wished he had never met Raditz and Bardock because there were also Saiyans, and there were only there to remind him of what he was truly inside.

But during his days here on Snake Way, where there was nothing but him and solitude, it gave him a time of long thinking, a time of peace, and a time of spiritual concentration and meditation, that allowed his heart to put all the jumbled pieces together so his mind and heart were prepared to make a decision whether or not that Raditz and Bardock were a part of his family now; the long-lost forgotten brother and father whom he had never met ever since he was born. Perhaps not all Saiyans were born evil like himself. When he first met Bardock, his first judgment of him was that he was as pure-hearted as him, and Goku was right in thinking this.

Goku had always believed that no matter if a person was born evil or was influenced by the work of evil, his or her heart will always have a tear of light within it, waiting to be reached and opened up.

Should he start accepting then about Raditz and Bardock becoming part of his family despite of a Saiyan's true background?

It will take a while to make such a difficult decision. Goku decided to lie down on his back. "I'll just take a nap," he whispered and soon fell asleep.

After an hour or so, Goku suddenly woke up. He scratched his head and first wondered where he was, only realizing he had only taken a quick slumber. Goku stood up and stretched out his arms and legs. A wide smile came across his face.

"That's enough for a break. All right, let's go!" he then dashed as fast as he could at maximum speed. While he was running, he began to see something out in the horizons. A fish-like extension reached at the end of the skies.

A wider, joyful look came across to Goku's face. "Wait, is that the tail? Yes, it is! Whoo hoo! I'm almost at the end!"

Feeling so energetic and excited now that he was going to train with King Kai, he took flight instead so he could quickly get there in seconds. He was very eager to meet King Kai. He wondered what kind of training his new master would give him.

"King Kai, here I come!" the cheerful warrior then slid, leaped, and glided along Snake Way. He never felt so excited before in his whole life. It felt like he was going to have a battle with a strong opponent that will surely keep his blood pumping.

Goku then jumped as far as he could and successfully landed on Snake Way's tail, but his face turned puzzled when he saw...nothing?

"Hey, I'm at the end, but where's King Kai?" Goku said. He looked above him. There, he saw a very small planet that looked like he could circumnavigate in minutes. It was really that diminutive. On the planet, he also saw a dome-shaped house, a water well, a red car, and a tree sitting there. Goku started to laugh. "Heh, heh! So King Kai lives there? The place is so small though. I was expecting his training ground to be a lot bigger than that, but whatever."

He proceeded to head towards the tiny planet. Before he could land on the surface, a sudden magnetic field-like sensation was felt throughout his body. It took him seconds to realize that he was getting heavier. Soon, he was strongly brought down to the planet's surface.

_THUMP!_

"OW!" Goku cried out loud.

He did not realize that there was a man, or a creature actually, that was blue-skinned, round-shaped, had antennas on his forehead and shades on his eyes, sitting on a recliner next to where he landed. He was drinking some tea, but when Goku made his unexpected and loud appearance, the creature spit out all the green liquid from his mouth. An unexpected foe or guest, who would at this time disturb the creature on this fine day?

Goku shook his head, getting rid of all the dizziness in his head, but his body was still being pulled down by the ground. "Gosh. The gravity here is so heavy! What is this place? ...huh?"

He looked up and noticed the creature was staring at him back including an ape and a cricket standing beside him. There was literally a one minute stare of awkwardness in the air until the blue-skinned creature decided to talk.

"Um, and who you might be?" he asked while still holding onto his tea cup.

Goku tried to stand with all his might to give a bow to him to show his respect, but because of the unusual gravity, instead, he stayed there and nervously smiled. "Heh, heh! Hello. My name is Goku. I came all the way here to seek training from you. Are you King Kai?"

The blue-skinned creature's antennas jerked a little bit. He then smirked in a playful way. "Maybe...what do you think?"

"What? What do you mean? But you should know who you are," but Goku simply did not get he was only joking.

The creature stood up from his recliner and put his hands behind his back. In addition to his weird appearance, he was also wearing a black martial arts uniform with red sleeves; a huge character was also on the front of his clothing to show people who he was.

The creature started to snort out loud. "Of course I know who I am. I was just wondering if you got me. Heh, heh!" he covered his mouth from laughing too hard.

Goku raised a brow. Seriously, he did not get him at all.

"Anyway, so you want to know who I am, huh?" the creature asked. "Before I answer that, I have a question for you. Where the heck did you come from? From the sky? It seems like you just came out from nowhere!"

After hearing this, Goku strove to at least lift up his chest from the grasses. His arms struggled to resist the magnitude of the planet, but to no avail. Instead, he hit his chin hard on the soil. He smiled and answered his question anyway.

"I embarked on a journey to Snake Way. I traveled long distances just to get here. I'm from Planet Earth, Mister," replied Goku politely.

"Planet Earth? Oh," he snickered again. "No wonder you can't stand the gravity here. This planet has about ten times gravity than on Earth."

"Ten more times?" Goku shouted with surprise. "Wow, how could anyone withstand this kind of heaviness?"

"Wait a sec," the blue creature almost forgot. "Did you say that you actually travel all the way here from Snake Way?"

As he asked that question, Goku had suddenly begun to get used to the gravity instantly. He was already on his knees, but his face clearly showed so much stress and fatigue. He looked up at the anonymous being and weakly smiled.

"Yes, I did, with a few delays from here or there, but I'm now here. I came here because I want to seek training from the one called King Kai."

The being had an interested look on his face. _"I don't take any new students any more these days, but after knowing that this young man is able to cover 10,000 miles in just a short amount of time, maybe I could take him as my new student after all..."_

While Goku was still on his knees and his hands on the ground, he asked the creature one more time if he was King Kai.

He started to laugh again. "What do you think? It rhymes with pie though," he scratched his back for no reason, perhaps giving a clue to Goku about his identity, and then he finally revealed himself. "You're right! I'm King Kai!"

An excited beam spread across on Goku's face. "I knew it! I knew you were King Kai. I could tell because of your bad sense of humor."

King Kai was easily offended. "What bad sense of humor?"

"Well, King Yemma described to me that you're a very bad joker," Goku said innocently.

King Kai easily fumed up. He cannot believe his former student would talk about bad things about him behind his back. Before he could explode or anything, Goku then said.

"Anyway, I'm honored to meet you, King Kai. I was beginning to think that your monkey or the grasshopper there was you!"

The monkey made noises in response.

"You've got to be kidding me," King Kai shook his head. "The monkey is my favorite pet, Bubbles, and the insect is also my favorite pet. His name is Gregory."

Gregory started to beat his fists in air. "I hate it when people mistaken me for a grasshopper! I'm a cricket, you idiot!"

Goku laughed nervously. "Oh, sorry about that. Sorry, I don't know my insect anatomy, but it's strange how you can talk."

"Are you suggesting that my friends are 'strange'? Like you're not," King Kai said.

"Huh?" Goku wondered what he meant that.

King Kai then started to chuckle again under his breath. "Hey, I'm just teasing. Even Kais like to joke around, y'know. Even though you made me waste all of my tea, I'm still in a good mood to make some jokes."

Goku had no idea what to say, but scratched his head and apologized about the tea.

The North Kai started to think of a joke. "Okay, let's see. I'll try a few jokes on you. All right, here's a good one. It's about my uncle. He's so large when he sits around the house and when he sits around the house..."

Goku did not get it at all.

The mythical Kai pretended there was a phone in front of him. "Ring! Ring!" he picked it up and answered it. "Ah, yes? Hello? …you don't say? …what? You don't say? My gosh!"

King Kai was about to burst in laughter, but Goku seemed to not find it funny at all. Bubbles was circling around King Kai while Gregory had a sweat drop on his forehead.

"In fact, I never really get that joke," the insect said.

"Uh, good one," Goku said.

King Kai's face was suddenly annoyed. "Hmm? You were supposed to say 'Who was that?' then I say 'You didn't say.' Get it?"

Goku found himself already standing on his two legs that were trying to defy the heavy gravity. He tried to put his feet together. He slowly bowed again with respect to show his apologies. "Oh right. Sorry about that. I'd love to hear your jokes all the day long, but I actually came here to seek training from you."

King Kai backed away a little. "Me training you? Of course not! You wouldn't know a good joke if it's not gonna kick you on the head. I won't train anybody who doesn't have a good sense of humor. You might as well go back home."

However, the cheerful fighter then laughed insanely. "Hah, hah! Jokes gonna kick you in the head? That's crazy! You're too much, King Kai."

"Aah," King Kai's smile and pleasure went back on his face. At least someone here was able to recognize his sense of humor. He then made a deal with Goku that he could train him but under one condition and that was if he could pass a simple test.

Goku obliged to take the challenge. "Sure, I'm ready when you are."

"Tell me a very good joke and then you'll win," King Kai's right eye sparkled.

Goku's jaw dropped. "Wha-what?"

Bubbles scratched his head and stomach while making monkey sounds.

Gregory bit his lip. "But King Kai Sir, surely a guy like him can't come up with a good joke. You're just wasting your time here. Besides, he doesn't even know the difference between a grasshopper and a cricket!"

"Just sit and hang tight," King Kai reassured. "If he can travel Snake Way and at least stand on his two legs under this severe gravity, then he's capable enough of becoming my student."

Goku's body was already struggling with the gravity here, and now his mind will be struggling just to come up with a very humorous joke to laugh King Kai's heart out. "Sir, come on! I'm not a comedian."

"Well, you're not going to think of anything if you're all tensed up like that. Staying loose is the key," he gave him some advice. "Trust me. Without a clear mind, you can't deliver me anything."

Goku sweated. He was not really expecting for the test to be this. He tried to come up with knock, knock jokes, but he knew those were not good enough. King Kai noticed his struggle already. This could be the easiest or the hardest challenging depending on the person's level in sense of humor, but the main purpose of this test was to see if the person will be able to calm himself or herself down even at times of unexpected events; for instance, what Goku was facing right now.

Soon, he came up with one. "Why did the chicken...cross the road?"

King Kai gasped. "Aah! So it could get to the other side?" he tried to hold his laughter.

Goku realized his joke was working, but he had to spice it up a bit in order for King Kai to laugh harder. "Hold on. Because it was too far to fly!"

King Kai cheeks were turning cherry-red. Goku's confidence in passing this challenging were coming back to him. He barraged him with more and more jokes until it came to a point where King Kai could not hold his laughter any longer that he had to fall on the ground, with his hands on his stomach, and just laugh all the way.

Bubbles clapped his hands, telling Goku he had done a job well-done. Gregory was quite impressed.

"In fact, I think Goku's jokes make much more sense," Gregory whispered to Bubbles.

King Kai tried to reclaim his breath. He fixed his glasses and took out a handkerchief to wipe out the sweat on his face. "Okay, kid. You win. Now, when I'm through with you, you'll really be the expert of comedy. I shall now call you the 'Prince of Puns!' How's that for a title to boast about?"

Goku became a bit disappointed. "Uh, but King Kai, I came here to seek martial arts training from you. I didn't come here just to improve on my sense of humor."

King Kai gave a grunt. He thought Goku was seeking training from him on inventing funny jokes, but formal martial arts training? King Kai felt he had wasted his time for nothing. "You did? Shame on you, you should've told me earlier."

Switching to the next training session, the mythical Kai went to his fighting position. His second test on him was to see his fighting abilities. "I'm stronger than I look. Okay, give me everything you got. I won't hold back."

Goku positioned in his fighting stance also, but then he gave a bewildered look. He realized he still could not move an inch with all this gravity he was experiencing.

"That is most unusual," said King Kai, "but considering you're from Earth, I can't really blame you. You see, the planet may be small, but the gravity is severe. If you remember, the gravity here is ten times more than that of Earth. Try jumping as high as you can."

"Huh? Okay," Goku hopped from the surface and tried to jump as high as he could, but he was pulled back to the surface again. The gravity made him assemble on his butt. "WAAH! Bummer! How embarrassing."

Despite of the unsuccessful attempt, King Kai was actually amazed of how far this one was able to jump. No student of his had actually jumped that high before. King Kai's heart began to pump in excitement, realizing Goku could be the one after all who can surpass his higher-leveled, intensive training sessions no student of his had ever surpassed._"If this one has a true talent after all and can jump that high at ten times gravity, then there is hope for him yet. Maybe."_

Goku scratched his head. "Ow…"

King Kai thought this was not the best time to fight him; not until his new student had gotten used to the gravity. He placed his arms behind his back. "All right, then. Let's begin training. Now, how long do you plan on staying here?"

Goku slowly got up while maintaining his balance. "Well, for as long as possible, but I'm not sure if there's much time left. I'm not certain if there are any bad guys that are coming to Earth, but I need to stop them if there's any. I got family down there. I need to get stronger," he declared seriously. He looked at his master's eyes and inquired politely if he could somehow know what was going on in his home planet.

"You came to the right person," King Kai smiled. "That's my specialty."

"Thank you!" Goku said happily. "Perhaps can you track down a person who's named Raditz? He probably has one of the highest energy level there. You see, he was a bad guy at first who wanted to conquer Earth, but turned out to be a good person, but became a bad guy again. I'm not sure what he's doing on Earth now. I'm guessing he had already left or something."

"I'll try," King Kai used his feelers to find Earth first. Once he had found the planet, he searched every inch of the land for some very high energy levels. Soon, he caught several of them. "Okay, I'm getting something here. I feel two very high power levels."

_"That must be Bardock and Raditz,"_ Goku said in his mind.

"Good news for you. I sense no evil energy lingering anywhere on Planet Earth. Your home planet's in safe's arms," King Kai said.

Goku was very relieved to hear that, but was more than happy to know that Raditz had finally become a good person. He wondered why he was still living on Earth though. "Phew! That's awesome to hear. Now, I guess we should start our training, huh?"

This time though, King Kai did not say a word. Instead, he was trembling with sudden fear as if a painstaking, lost memory had suddenly came back to haunt him again.

"King Kai, what's the matter? You look awfully worried," Goku said, hating to know what he had discovered.

"...listen here, Goku," King Kai started to tell him. "I take back what I said. Your planet may be safe...for now! But I feel even two more powerful energies coming to Earth. What's even worse, they're evil! They're enemies!"

"Enemies?" Goku yelled.

"And they're even more powerful than you. _Way_ more powerful than you, son!" King Kai exclaimed. "And they'll be arriving to Earth in just ten months!"

Goku started to worry. "It can't be. Please, King Kai, you have to train me. I have to get stronger before anything happens to anyone down on Earth."

Goku and King Kai did not expect this to happen now. Now, aside from getting stronger, Goku had a new goal in mind and that was to become a better fighter in order to prepare himself for the two evil that King Kai had discovered today. If the fight with Raditz had already been a major, difficult situation for Goku, then the battle against the two enemies that were making their way to Earth will be a more horrifying experience. Goku knew that he must get a lot stronger than ever before.

The next day on Planet Earth, the Z-warriors gathered around to bid their farewells to Gohan.

"Good luck on your training with Piccolo," Krillin smiled.

"Don't worry, Gohan," Yamcha clasped his fists together. "We're always here for you, okay?"

Chiaotzu said, "You'll do fine, we promise."

Tien nodded. "You can do it."

"Just be careful not to get around with Piccolo's temper," Yajirobe gave some mere advice.

The Z-fighters chuckled a little.

Gohan looked at his friends and family. As long they were there, he was confident enough that he can become one of the strongest fighters around just like his own father. Gohan then bowed to them.

"Thank you all so much for your help. I truly appreciate it. I'll try my best to become a strong fighter like my daddy. It's been great being with all of you."

Kami had already pinpointed Piccolo's location. With Bardock, they will escort Gohan to his new mentor.

Gohan was about to leave until he remembered something. The little boy turned to his uncle. He approached him and smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Uncle, for becoming a good person."

Raditz found blushes on his face. "And thanks for...accepting me as your uncle."

Yet, it was very weird for Saiyans to express such tender emotions. Saiyans were raised to be coldblooded, fearless, and prided warriors. Softness did not have a place in their hearts, but Raditz knew that he and Bardock had changed a lot throughout these years. They were no longer like their ancestors. They were reborn Saiyan warriors of new hearts and light.

Mr. Popo smiled at this including everyone else. After Gohan was given more time to say goodbye to the rest of his friends and family, Mr. Popo said, "All right, it's time to go, Gohan."

Kami, Bardock, and Gohan stood at the middle of Kami's Lookout. Everyone had high hopes on the young boy especially Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu. Gohan was Goku's son, and Goku was known to be the strongest fighter ever known to humankind, and now they believed with all their heart Gohan can transform into a warrior just like his own father.

Gohan looked at everybody. He waved at them slowly, especially at Raditz. He smiled at them sweetly, telling them he will do his best in his training with Piccolo.

Soon, Kami, Bardock, and Gohan disappeared into thin air. After traveling almost as fast as the speed of light, the three finally reappeared at a place where there were plenty of grass, but mostly silver-colored ravines and canyons. There, Piccolo was meditating on top of a boulder. He did not have to turn his head to see who came to visit him.

"So you finally decided to show your faces," the green creature gave them quite a harsh welcome.

Kami only smiled. "You had not changed one bit, have you, Piccolo?"

Piccolo stood up and turned around with his white cape flowing with the winds. He looked at Gohan intently. He sensed his powers. He was quite impressed by how much power he was now carrying, but it was not enough. He knew it was his job to bring the rest of Gohan's potential out.

"All right, he's your new mentor now," Bardock said to Gohan.

Gohan gulped hard. What a serious, cold face he was already seeing on his new teacher. Could he at least smile a little bit?

Kami sensed Gohan's plague of uneasiness, and so he gave his former student one more boost of morale for his anxious heart. "Gohan, just remember. You can do it. We have faith in you. You can become a great warrior."

"Thank you, Kami, for all what you have taught me," Gohan nodded. He turned to his grandfather this time and also expressed his gratitude to him.

Bardock stared into the kid's eyes for a moment. For some reason, he could see Goku inside. He smiled and said to him, "Ten months from now, I'd like to see you in great shape; a fighter who can fight alongside us with a lot of faith and confidence!"

Gohan smiled a wider beam. His boost of moral had already gone up the scale. He knew with all his heart that he could do anything with enough hard work and faith. "Yeah!"

Bardock stared at Piccolo for a second and then called his name. Piccolo turned to him. Bardock kept him in silence for a moment and then said with a smirk, "Make sure take good care of Gohan. You two are gonna be great friends, I can tell. Heh, heh."

"What?" Piccolo, Gohan, and even Kami yelled, wondering what he was talking about.

Bardock chuckled to see the surprised reaction on their faces. "Heh, you'll see what I mean soon. Well, farewell, Gohan."

Kami and Bardock, after giving Gohan a final glance of hope and trust, teleported back to Kami's Lookout with Bardock leaving a smile behind for Gohan to remember by; to help him remember that, once again, his friends and family were always there to support him in every way.

"What did he just say? What did he mean by that?" Piccolo spat.

Gohan only blinked his eyes.

Piccolo ignored him though, thinking he was just crazy. He then approached the young boy, his shadow looming over him. Gohan quickly turned around and sweated a little. Judging by the look on his face, these next ten months will be arduous and strenuous. It will be an intensive training full of heavy rigor.

"H-hello there, Mister Piccolo," Gohan stuttered.

"Tell me, what had Kami taught you these past two months?" Piccolo questioned.

Gohan bit his lip. "W-well, he taught me the basic skills of fighting including bringing my energy out, flying, and firing energy blasts."

Piccolo crossed his arms. "I see. At least you know the fundamentals of fighting, but don't let that thought get over your head. You still have a lot to learn. I have decided that in the next four months, you'll be gathering everything you learned from Kami in order to survive by yourself alone in the wild."

The boy was shocked to hear that. He shouted, "Wha-what? But why? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Are you trying to argue with your master here?" Piccolo questioned back. "No hesitations. You're the student, and you'll do exactly as I say. If you can survive by yourself for four months in the wild, then for the rest of the year, I'll be working with you on your fighting abilities."

"But you can't just leave me here! I'm just a little boy!" he continued to argue.

"Feh!" Piccolo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Oh, so Kami only taught you how to fight? Did he at least try to teach you how not to be a scaredy cat?"

The young warrior was silenced a little. Kami _did_ train him on how to be a strong person inside and out. Kami told him once that eventually, Gohan will be on his own in the big world when he grows up and so he must learn some independence.

"You may not realize it now, but this next training will benefit you," Piccolo said. "Of course, if you're just going to sit there and cry all day long, then you won't learn anything. You'll never be able to defeat the enemies that will come to Earth."

Gohan had a saddened look on his face, but deep down, he was right.

Piccolo started to take wing. "Remember. Survive for four months in the wild and then you'll be ready for the real thing. I'll be testing you on all you have learned from Kami and from living by yourself. If you fail this test, then you're no good to us anymore. We'll just have to send you back home and handle the enemies ourselves."

"Wait! B-but what am I supposed to eat? Where am I supposed to sleep?" Gohan worriedly asked.

Piccolo snickered. "Heh, don't worry. You'll figure all of that soon once I leave you here."

"Hold on!" Gohan was really trying to convince him to stay.

Piccolo was easily getting irritated that he needed to shout at the boy. "Listen here, kid! You have to toughen up yourself or else life will be hard for you. You can't just trust anyone to be with you forever. You need to learn how to take care of yourself. You got that? I'll be back after four months to check on you."

Gohan tried to stop him, but instead, Piccolo vanished into thin-air, leaving the helpless boy behind. Gohan was already losing all of his self-confidence that it came to a point where he just cried all of his tears out.

"WAAH! I can't live by myself! It's too hard! I want Mommy! I want Daddy!"

As he busied himself crying, a dinosaur suddenly approached him with a famished face, indicating it wanted Gohan for breakfast. Gohan slowly turned his head and realized he needed to run for his life. He got up and sprinted as far as he can as soon as the dinosaur started chasing him. Gohan panted and breathed very heavily.

"Get away from me! I'm not food! I'm just a kid!"

But the young warrior tripped over a rock, making him fall on the ground. He thought it was all over for him since the dinosaur was so close in demolishing him, but the thought of giving up angered him because he knew he was better than this. If he were to give up now and leave all of his training behind, then he would be putting everything he had learned to waste as if this kind of knowledge had no purpose in life.

The dinosaur opened his mouth wide, but realized Gohan vanished in just a snap. The dinosaur searched for him with confusion, but he was nowhere to be found. Up on top of a very tall canyon was Gohan who had somehow got there by using quick speed. Still holding onto the grasses, Gohan had noticed that another challenge awaited him. He cried again.

"Help! I'm stuck! I can't get down! It's too high! WAAH!"

Piccolo heard him from a mile away. He bit his lip hard and said to himself, "This is ridiculous, and all that waiting for nothing? I'm beginning to doubt if that Kami had really taught him something useful."

However, it was Gohan's fault really for carrying too much worries and anxieties on his shoulders, to let his heart sink down into the depths of negativity, yet he was not to blame though since he was only a child who was still under the care of his parents.

Back at Kami's Lookout, Kami saw a weird look on Bardock's face and asked what the matter was.

Bardock scratched his cheek and sighed. A sweat drop fell on his forehead. _"I doubt now. Shouldn't we have left Gohan with Piccolo after all? I feel like the kid's gonna struggle on his first day."_

And he was exactly right.

Kami proceeded to ask him another question. "I'm curious. What were you trying to imply when you said to Piccolo that him and Gohan are going to be good friends?"

"It's self-explanatory," he grinned and chuckled to himself. Kami's eyes widened as if he saw something that freaked him out. This made Kami worry a little.

Now with Goku and Gohan training with their new teachers, it was a question whether or not they will be able to handle and overcome the obstacles along the way, inner or outer, in order to release their hidden powers inside


	23. History Behind the Saiyans

Episode 23

History Behind the Saiyans

That same evening, Gohan's fear of living by himself still forced him to remain stuck on the top of the tall canyon. He had done nothing but sit in anxiety, trying to think of a way to get down. Actually, he was beginning to doubt about this survival test. Perhaps he should just go home and not have to face the dangers that lied ahead.

But the boy shook his head, knowing it was a foolish idea. Gohan promised that he will make his father proud by becoming a strong warrior like him, only he wondered how he was able to survive these four months by himself.

While Gohan sat in deep thought, he remembered something. He had learned how to fly already, so why not use that technique to get back to the ground?

Gohan stood by the edge of the canyon, realizing how far he was from Earth's soil; about thirty feet or so. He gulped hard and after waiting for minutes, he started to levitate, his balance a bit wobbly since the fear within him was trying to lose his focus. He concentrated though and soon, he was an inch off the canyon. Gohan bit his lip and hovered way, but after realizing he had never flew this high before, he was starting to have height frights that he quickly lost his concentration. His flying powers quickly left him and he was about to fall to the ground.

"WAAH! Oh no!" luckily, Gohan grabbed onto the canyon and climbed back on the top of it quick as he can. There, he sat and started to cry.

"This is too hard! How am I supposed to get down now?" Gohan sadly moped until his stomach growled. "Ooh, I'm hungry."

The boy quickly gazed at the ground one more time that was vertically thirty feet away from him. The height frights struck him again. Then, a sudden thump suddenly caught his attention from behind. He turned around and noticed two apples were standing before him!

"Oh, apples!" Gohan was delighted that he picked them and was about to eat them until his brain just realized something peculiar. "Hold on, but there aren't trees around here. How did these get here then?" he tried to get the logic behind this, but happily ate the apples anyway. When he did, he did not get that same sweet and crispy flavor from these fruits. They made his face sour.

"Blah! Ooh, I want dim sum instead!" he complained and whined, but what else was there to eat now?

Far from him was another creature watching him. It was Piccolo who was meditating on top of another taller canyon. He gave an irritated grunt to hear the boy complaining.

_"Tch! I'm only gonna do this once, kid. You're only a child after all,"_ Piccolo confessed.

At King Kai's place, Goku's critical training sessions had already begun under King Kai's orders. Goku's first part of his training was to catch Bubbles, King Kai's favorite pet. Although he looked like an ordinary ape, his speed was incredibly fast that even Goku had a rough time trying to capture him. It was only his first day though, but having also the challenge of getting used to the severe gravity proved this training exercise to be even more difficult. The purpose of this exercise was the warrior to get used to severe gravity so that he or she could prepare himself or herself for more intensive gravity at other places without struggle. It can also build up one's strength, speed, and stamina. King Kai notified Goku that the two Saiyans who were coming to Earth were used to extremely high, intense magnitude, counting Goku's father, Bardock, and Goku's older brother, Raditz, as well. No wonder their power was far greater than Goku would have ever imagined despite of the many intense training he had done in the past from when he was a child.

"Wait up! Slow down, please," Goku begged of Bubbles, but Bubbles continued to run hastily from side to side and up and down.

King Kai was watching from a distance. "Come on, Goku. You can't give up now."

"But the gravity here is so heavy!" whined Goku.

"Well, you have to get used to it. That's the whole point of this exercise anyway," King Kai snickered.

"Aww," Goku panted. He knew he still had a long way to go.

When it was morning at Earth, Gohan woke up from his slumber. He actually dreamt last night that he was finally on the ground, but alas, it was only a dream. He was still stuck on top of the canyon.

"How am I supposed to do this?" the boy scratched his head. Not too long, Gohan found a tree that was quite near him that were filled with scrumptious fruits. Breakfast was calling out to him. He decided to use his flying abilities one more time and this time without looking below him.

"Okay, I'll try," Gohan tried to keep his confidence up.

Piccolo was actually watching his pupil, still from a far distance, but he finally saw a change in Gohan's eyes; a kind of change that was filled with braveness.

Gohan concentrated and soon he started to fly. Slowly but surely, he moved away from the canyon while keeping his eyes on the tree filled with scrumptious fruits. In his mind, he was only thinking about breakfast to keep him distracted. This was actually working after all, seeing how he was getting closer and closer to the tree. Gohan had a happy smile on his face.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing it! I'm almost there!" he said.

A sudden gust of wind abruptly interrupted Gohan's flying abilities that it made him lose balance and concentration. He instantly fell from the air, but was able to grab one of the long branches of the tree to reduce the impact of his fall. His grip though was too soft that he slipped away and fell heavily on his back, but at least it was not enough to break it; just to bruise it. In addition to his fall, three fruits landed on top of his face.

"OW!" Gohan held his aching face and started to cry again. "WAAH! That hurt!"

Piccolo face-palmed himself.

After Gohan soothed the pain on his face, he grabbed the fallen fruits from the ground and started to eat them while he snuffled between bites because he was still not used to this training. As soon as he ate them, he decided to sit under the tree for a while until the same dinosaur from yesterday found him and was ready to make a meal out of him.

"No! Not you again!" cried Gohan and ran for his life again. He slid on the grasses, jumped on boulders, and dodged the dinosaur's hungry teeth that wanted to eat him. Gohan ran as fast as he could until he found a cave ahead of him, perfect for a hiding place. The dinosaur soon could not keep up with his swift speed that it lost track of Gohan. At that time, Gohan was already inside the cave. He made sure that no creature was living inside of it. Gladly, there was nothing.

Gohan fell on his knees and breathed heavily. Just trying to take a stroll in a fine morning outside proved to be also challenging since hungry and ferocious monsters were keeping an eye on him. Gohan turned around to see the overall appearance of the cave. He guessed he should start making a comfortable home inside of this place.

"But it means I have to get outside again!" Gohan cried and noticed he was now stuck in this dark and dreary cave.

About a week had gone by, Goku and Gohan were still in the same training session, both father and son experiencing the same level of difficulty, but because of their strong hearts that were not willing to give in because they were either afraid or weak, they had done great progress. At first, Goku was not so used with the gravity at all, but after a few days of taking steps-by-steps at a time, Goku was beginning to get used to it. Now all he had to do was to test out his speed by catching the hasty Bubbles and he would move on to the next level. For Gohan, he was slowly adapting himself living in this environment. Though he sometimes would cry, that did not stop him from achieving his goal.

Inside the cave, Gohan had already made a pile of hay for his bed as well as some firewood to cook up any meat or fish he could find outside. Occasionally, he was still being chased by gigantic and hungry dinosaurs and reptiles, but thanks to his ability to fly and fight, he was always successful in getting away from the ferocious monsters with ease. The thought of confronting the wild animals outside had been reduced into a minor problem that at times, he would playfully think of it as a small game of "cat and mouse" or a simple exercise in the morning. He befriended some of the dinosaurs actually!

Gohan looked up at the skies one night and said that he thanked Kami, Bardock, and the rest of the Z-fighters for teaching him the important aspects in life. Because of their teachings, living in the wild was actually not so bad after all.

Piccolo, who was occasionally checking on the boy to see how he was doing, quickly saw a change in the kid's mindset. He was becoming more determined than ever just like his own father. He was quite impressed to see the major improvement.

A month had gone by.

"Come over here!" cried Goku, running after Bubbles. His rapid feet almost created trails of footprints on the grasses and his speed left winds behind. He could not believe that after a month, he still could not catch Bubbles. He was now used to the gravity, however, and now he was incredibly faster than ever before. Goku just wondered if he could catch Bubbles today.

Bubbles simply mocked him. Whenever Goku was just an inch away from the monkey, Bubbles would make the training exercise a little harder like throwing a banana peel on the ground to make him slip or perhaps climbing up a tree to force Goku to climb for himself. Bubbles would dash from side to side, back and forth, to distract Goku before he could escape again, leading the exhausted warrior to easy tiredness.

King Kai, however, saw a great development in Goku for the past month. He usually kept track of what progress he had made through firm observations and it impressed him actually. For a normal student, he or she might take many more months just to catch a monkey, but for Goku, he can sense he was no ordinary warrior. He was something different, which made him very unique. _"My…at first day, he's in really bad shape, but now he's making great progress. Maybe he could be the one after all who might be able to learn a technique of mine no one had ever learned before!"_

"Come on!" Goku encouraged himself and every running step he took, his motivation grew more. Thinking about the evil Saiyans that were coming to Earth kept him in great impulse. He will continue to persist until he can complete his training.

The rest of the Z-warriors were training at Kami's Lookout.

"Try this, Wolf Fang Fist!" Yamcha said, performing one of his special techniques.

He first took a stance similar to an unvoiced wolf, sneaking behind trees for a chance to eat its prey; his hands making gestures similar to that of a wolf claw. With deep focus and speed, Yamcha clawed his sparring partner, Tien, his fists leaving trails of scratch-like marks behind. In the end, Yamcha raised his hands and came for a strong claw strike, his hands moving away from each other. Tien was blown back by three of his attacks, but regained his balance to surprisingly perform a move called "Dodon Ray." A laser beam was thrust out from his index finger. Yamcha evaded it and both were engaged in a battle.

Mr. Popo was training Chiaotzu. He was still a young child, but even a child like him was already a great fighter. Mr. Popo knew with just a little more practice, Chiaotzu was ready for the Saiyans. "Okay, Chiaotzu, give it all you have."

Chiaotzu nodded and began in his fighting stance. He flew in air, giving strong, consecutive punches and kicks with winds coming out from his attacks. "Hyah, hyah!"

"Yes, yes. That's good. Keep on going," encouraged Popo.

Krillin and Yajirobe were both engaged in a sparring match though Yajirobe was fooling around a little. He was still lazy to train, but can pick up a fight once in a while. But now, Krillin was getting annoyed of him.

"Kamehameha!" Krillin released a short yet strong beam from his palms.

Yajirobe easily jumped out of the way and landed on Krillin's back. Yajirobe then gave him a light poke with his sword on his bald head.

"Hey, Yajirobe, stop kidding around," Krillin whined. Yajirobe just gave a grunt.

Of course, there were two fighters who constantly trained every day even at times where they could take a break. Those fighters were Bardock and Raditz. Obviously, they came from a race of warriors and warriors love to engage in battles.

But there was Raditz who was training too much, but it seemed it did not bother him even though his mind was telling him to rest. The Saiyan performed a high drop kick along with a turning side kick. He then did a tornado kick and performed a palm strike in the end. He made two knife hands, following with a straight punch. He then launched an energy blast. "Kyah!"

Raditz had been training for the longest. His father, Bardock, was simply taking a relaxing break since he had been practicing non-stop since yesterday. He watched as his son did moves non-stop, and Bardock was surprised how his attacks were still intact and balanced despite of his fatigue. He was a little bit concerned though since he did not want him to pass out from too much heavy practicing. Bardock had gone through to that incident once.

Raditz threw a kick yet his tiredness finally got to him. His feet lost balanced and slipped and fell on the floorboards. He opened an eye and was twitching a bit in pain. He guessed he may have overdone it a little, but he wanted to train more. He bit his lip and tightened his fists. The thought of his two comrades who were coming to Earth for their own evil purposes always kept him up on his aching feet, but he was still convinced he was only a low-level soldier, thinking he needed to train more in order to reach the same level as his comrades were who were elites. What else, he simply hated to be called a low-level. It offended him too much, too easily.

The struggling Raditz insisted to get up, but somebody approached him; the shadow of the figure can be felt. Raditz turned his head to see his father with a quite solemn and concerned look on his face. Bardock lent out a silent grunt and said, "You need to rest."

Raditz refused. He looked down on the floorboards in frustration. "But I can't. I need to train more. I need to be as strong as my comrades. They are elites and I'm only a low-class soldier. I must surpass their power."

Bardock looked into his son's weary, anxious eyes. He understood him. He was not the only one who was feeling the same thing, but still thought his son needed a break. They have to relax once in a while. Bardock placed his hands on his hips and handed a bottled-water to him. "Here, drink this."

Raditz's eyes widened when he saw it. He was so thirsty that he snatched it in a rude manner and drank it down, letting the water quench his dried throat. Raditz realized he was being rude for not saying at least a "thank you," especially to his father. "I'm sorry, Father."

Bardock lightly shook his head. "Just ensure yourself you get some rest," he then walked away, continuing on with his break.

Raditz watched as he left. He sometimes thought that Bardock was a little bit too cold for a father, but he did not mind at all. As long he was there, he was fine with that. He looked down on the floorboards again, still thinking about the two Saiyans who were coming to Earth. He settled the bottled water beside him and imagined about the battle he needed to face soon, but he took account of his father's words. He was soon convinced that he needed to take a break.

Goku sprinted hastily from every direction, continuing his task to catch Bubbles. Goku had gotten to a point where he was beginning to lose his speed due to his great exhaustion. "Wait, slow down. I need a break!"

Bubbles was simply an uncatchable monkey, and the heavy gravity just made it harder for him.

King Kai obviously saw his student's fatigue. He decided to give him a break for a while. "Hmm…hey, Goku!"

Goku breathed very heavily. "Yeah, King Kai?"

"How about take a break and eat lunch first?" King Kai asked.

Goku's eyes widened and his mouth watered. Food was what he always needed. "Aah!"

Inside King Kai's house, the generous mentor prepared delicious food for Goku to eat; from the exquisite main courses to the most luxurious desserts. Goku simply munched away with his lunch, showing no table manners at all. He gobbled up all the food with his hands and sometimes with his silverware. Little pieces of foods would scatter all over the table and floor, and Goku would continue to much anyway.

King Kai blankly stared at him while his pet, Bubbles, ate a fresh banana. King Kai had never known he would eat this fast, this hungry, as if he had not eaten for many days. King Kai then shook his head, realizing his dishes were getting empty. He needed to eat too. "Huh-uh-hey! Have you ever heard the phrase 'slow down'?"

Goku did not listen and continued to gobble all the exquisite food. He was really similar to Bardock except for the skin complexion and the attitude.

Goku drank the last noodle on his soup bowl. "Done! Wow, King Kai, that was good food right there."

King Kai was easily flattered. "My pleasure. I'm an expert at cooking."

Goku then wiped his mouth with a napkin. He felt fully energized. He was ready to train again, but a solemn glare was replaced on his face. There was this one thought inside his head that kept bothering him for weeks. It was something he wanted to learn more about, to gain full knowledge of it. It was concerning about Raditz and Bardock and all the other warriors who stood in front and before them.

"King Kai?" Goku asked suddenly. "I have a question. Do you know…anything about the Saiyans? A man named Raditz told me some information about it, but I want to learn more about it."

King Kai looked at him, wondering why he wanted to ask about them.

It had been hours and it was already night down on Planet Earth and the rest of the Z-warriors were already resting inside Kami's Lookout.

It was about 11:00 P.M. Everyone slept soundlessly; all were tired from a hard day's work, but there was only one fighter who was still awake.

Bardock stood by one of the pillars of the Lookout, gazing at the starry night skies. There was no moon, but the stars were enough to make the night beautiful.

He was more concerned though about the incoming battle ahead of them. He also thought about an event from the past, that time when Frieza destroyed the Saiyans' home planet. Once again, Bardock witnessed a vision. This gift of seeing the future was sometimes annoying that he would curse this gift, but at the same time, this was also helpful for him.

Bardock placed a stiff hand on his forehead, seeing the vision as it passed. Once it faded, everything was back to normal, but felt someone behind his back. Without looking, he already knew who it was. He did not answer though.

"Bardock, you should be getting some rest now," suggested Kami who just came out from the shadows with his crutch.

Bardock paused for a moment and heaved a sigh. He replied. "Thank you, but I don't feel like it."

"You just came from a hard day's training. You need to be fully recharged for tomorrow," urged Kami more, holding his crutch.

Bardock chuckled under his breath and relaxed his body more as he moved his neck to rest his head on the pillar. "Heh, sometimes a Saiyan like myself do not need one."

Kami's face showed a little interest when he heard the word "Saiyan." It actually reminded him of something ever since Raditz came to Earth. Now come to think of it, he held his crutch tighter and suddenly switched to a different topic. "I must ask, Bardock. I need to know the history of the Saiyans. Would you please explain to me anything about it?"

Bardock turned his head slightly and thought about it.

"Why do you want to know?" asked King Kai.

"Y'know," Goku said, "I just want to gain a full understanding of it. I feel like I need to know something about the Saiyan race."

King Kai thought about it for a moment. He only knew of the major events that occurred during the history of the Saiyans. It should be enough though to explain everything. "Okay, I'll tell you."

"Thanks, oh!" Goku stood up and gave his teacher a chair to sit on.

"Now, that's kind of you," King Kai praised his pupil.

Goku sat back on his chair and kept his ears open. "All right, I'm listening."

Bardock sighed. Perhaps Kami deserved to hear the history of the Saiyans, to give him a perspective of what kind of enormous power Vegeta and Nappa held. "Okay," he finally said.

Kami nodded. "I'm listening."

Bardock inhaled deeply and exhaled silently. He knew a decent amount of history the Saiyans had. He tried to remember it all by memory.

King Kai sat up straight. The tale of the Saiyan race began. The beginning scene somewhat became suspenseful and dark, even Goku quite felt the change in the atmosphere.

"Long ago, there are two different races that lived in 'Planet Plant.' One species is called the Tuffles. The Tuffles are very small people, yet they were advanced, technology-mind creatures. They built great cities, sizes which range from the most simple and smallest to the most complex, abstract-looking. They also had great resources, weapons and inventions that didn't even exist in other planets."

A flashback was quickly shown. The Tuffles were presented. They were collaborating together to make new kinds of technology and inventions. Their clothing was very futuristic. They had constructed large buildings and cities. The planet's appearance looked very similar to Planet Earth only it was more futuristic unlike Earth that was very nature-like in form. Tuffles were a peaceful civilization.

"And there's another species, obviously, called the Saiyans," Bardock said, his eyes glimmering. "Unlike how my clothing appears right now, the Saiyans before wore cavemen-like clothing. They first lived in small villages in the deserted areas in Plant, but despite of their odd appearance before, they may not have a mind of a technical person, but they do have the mind of a warrior."

Kami continued to listen, and every detail he said teased him to learn more about the Saiyan race.

Another flashback showed up, showing three Saiyans proudly standing at the edge of a cliff with their cavemen-like clothes. They had unfriendly smiles plastered on their faces. The female Saiyan in the middle had a sharp knife firmly grasped on her mouth with her tail swishing back and forth. The Saiyans already looked mysterious and powerful even with just once glance. The Saiyans always gave that kind of look that one must leave their territory or else.

"Although the two races shared the planet," King Kai said, "they rarely confront with each other, but still managed to make a peaceful bond, but not for long. After quite some time, the Saiyans grew tired of living in such a filthy place and eventually devised a war upon the Tuffles."

Goku tilted his head to the side. He placed his chin on the chair. "Well, that's a dumb idea. They made war because they lived in a stinky place? Couldn't they at least negotiated with the Tuffles first?"

"Let me finish, Goku!" King Kai said with an annoyed look on his face. He was trying to tell a story, yet Goku kept asking him millions of questions for they could be all answered in the next sentence.

Goku laughed. "Hah, hah, oops, sorry. Go ahead."

"Not only that, because the Saiyans were also treated as slaves by the Tuffles. They grew tired of this nonsense and abuse and planned to take over them," Bardock said while crossing his legs to make himself feel more comfortable while standing beside the pillar.

Kami kept listening and wondered what happened next.

"Eventually, it led to a ten-year long Civil War called the Saiyan-Tuffle War. Although the Saiyans possessed brute strength and were gigantic in size, the Tuffles had advanced weaponry and technology. Both sides had their pros and cons," Bardock then put his head down further on the floor, "but with both sides being equal in power, the war waged on."

"It seemed like the war's going on forever!" exclaimed King Kai, "until something happened that finally brought the conflict to an end."

"What is it?" Goku's interest sharpened.

"A full moon appeared in the night skies of the fires of war, something that only happens between seven to eight years on that planet. The Saiyans gained the upper hand as they transformed into their fearless transformation called 'Great Apes'," Bardock said.

Kami's eyes widened. It brought him to a memory about Goku's tail from when he was a child. He took it off during his childhood, knowing if the young warrior still had his tail, they would be in deep trouble by now. That was the most powerful form of transformation he had ever seen in his life and he had witnessed it once. It was a living nightmare.

"Within a few hours, their sudden overwhelming strength from the Saiyans crushed the Tuffles like nothing and ended the war at last. The Saiyans claimed the planet their own and renamed it Planet Vegeta, named after the one who led his people to victory," Bardock continued to explain. He then put his head down and gave a slight smirk. "That was actually our king, King Vegeta."

Kami was surprised to know that the Saiyans had their own king. Already, the name sounded like a true monarchy with dignity.

King Kai's face changed. "After the war, the Saiyan race started to make their own living. They began building their own empire, but they have a slight problem."

"They realized they can't even build their own empire then?" asked Goku, assuming it was that.

"No, not that!" exclaimed King Kai. Now Goku was randomly spitting out random assumptions to his teacher, not letting his mentor finish his paragraphs first.

Goku just laughed. "Sorry! So, what was the problem?"

"They do not have anyone to fight with since Saiyans had the passion to engage in battles. And so they built their own spaceship and settled in a planet called Arcose, home to the Arcosians."

Goku tilted his head to the side. He was a Saiyan himself, although not yet convinced that, that was his true nature since he had spent most of his days on Earth, but he will not deny the fact that he absolutely loved to engage in great challenges and battles all the time. They always kept him going even at tough times.

"Arcosians are a wealthy race and had a lot of advanced technology. They are members of a Universe Organization Trade, but since they lived in such a dump, they asked to hire a group of Saiyans to attack a new planet for them in exchange for their wealth and technology," King Kai explained and then went to the conclusion to the story. "Slowly and slowly, Saiyans also began to learn the skills of complex technology. From there, they continued to rebuild the empire into a much greater one."

Goku continued to listen.

"But most of all, up until now, the Saiyans are _still_ the most formidable race in the entire galaxy. They are impossible to beat so easily…" said King Kai, keeping a quiet tone of voice down.

Then silence drifted again and the atmosphere felt the same. King Kai glanced at Goku, seeing his face in deep focus as he thought about the Saiyans, but there was something more to the story that King Kai wanted to insert more to the content, but he thought it was not the time yet to reveal it to Goku. Reasons were unknown though.

Bardock remained silent and his face was fully down. Kami looked at him and sensed something inside. He inquired him.

"I sense, you have something more to say, Bardock. If you can, what is it?"

Bardock then slowly put his head up. His eyes still kept looking at the glittery night firmaments as if he was only talking to himself. "There's more, but I'm afraid that I may put more pressure onto you and the rest."

"There are some things we have to know in order to prepare better for the future," Kami said.

Bardock then crossed his arms, pausing more, keeping his lips closed. He was still giving no words.

Kami waited for him and thought he was offended by his inquiry. "I apologize if it disturbed you somewhat. If you feel it's too difficult, we can always discuss later."

"No, it's okay. I'm fine. I'll tell you anyways," Bardock heaved another silent sigh. Within, he was beginning to feel the pain of the past, yet he tried to conceal it so no one could notice.

The fleet of winds brushed through the Lookout, bringing the temperature down a little, but it did nothing to disturb Kami and Bardock from their discussion.

At last, Bardock began after long pauses of waiting. "After the Saiyans built their own empire, not too long did a galactic overlord, a dictator named 'Frieza' forcefully annexed Planet Vegeta with his own empire and sent all Saiyans to military draft."

Kami continued to listen. Now the story was beginning to heighten up to its fullest.

"The overlord Frieza eventually trained them as his official elites and high-class soldiers. He took advantage of the Saiyans' will to fight and their deep passion for fighting."

Kami recalled Goku. Even during times where the world was at stake, Goku kept a smile of confidence on his face with a positive feeling in his heart and the excitement rushing through his veins. He always found it strange for Goku to be so strongly determined and excited in intensive fights and such fascinating adventures. He can worry, but be excited at the same time.

Bardock continued to tell the tale. "The highly, professionally trained Saiyan race under Frieza's dictatorship himself are sent off to different assigned planets as their main missions, their main careers, perhaps their main purposes in life; to take over the planets and sell them off to the galactic markets, to the highest bidder."

Bardock looked up at the night skies again. He did not realize he was beginning to clench his fists in silent vexation. "But then after many years, he-" he suddenly paused, his voice beginning to break a little. He suddenly gnawed on his teeth and his fists became more stiffened.

Kami saw the sudden change of emotion by just feeling his aura. He saw the soundless anger expression on his face. He knew he was remembering something from the past. As being the wise Guardian of Earth, he was intelligent enough to know Bardock had gone through an incident that pained him too much.

The silent Saiyan felt his resentment growing in his heart. He just could not finish his story. It hurt him too much just to utter a word about it. He had experienced it before and it left him with unbearable memories.

Kami decided they should cease the conversation here. "You do not have to say anything else, Bardock. If it really bothers you, we should end this conversation."

Bardock contained himself. He tried to get over such negative feelings. He was never a weakling, and letting his emotions take over his judgment was just foolish. Once he had finally calmed himself, his eyes looked at the starry night skies again. He did not have to explain every little detail, but he will say this though. "To summarize it, the galactic overlord Frieza then decided to…destroy the Saiyan's home planet along with the…"

He paused one more time and said, "… and the entire Saiyan race," he said, still hearing a tone of deep anger inside his voice.

Kami held his crutch tighter. He thought it was kind of cruel that a galactic overlord would betray the Saiyan race after all the hard efforts that were done for the tyrant. Since the entire Saiyan race was destroyed, the only survivors were the remaining ones that were standing in front of his eyes right now. He asked in a soft voice. "May I ask why he did this cruel act?"

Bardock turned his head slightly to the left, his red bandanna flowing with the light whisperings of the winds. He said nothing.

Kami nodded, knowing he wanted to stop. "I see. I understand. I will not force you to take any more detail."

Bardock said nothing.

"Well then, thank you for taking your time to reveal to me the history of the Saiyan race. I completely understand it now," Kami then looked up at the stars. It was about time for him to sleep. "I must take my slumber for tomorrow. Have a good night."

Bardock looked at Kami this time and slightly smiled. "…thank you. You have a good night as well."

Kami walked away slowly, but glanced at Bardock one more time. The history that was given to him, especially the galactic overlord, Frieza, was it the primary source of his bitterness? At least Bardock still had a kind and compassionate heart, he could sense.

From there, he walked away and went back to sleep.

Bardock continued to watch the night skies. Sometimes, he counted the stars that were twinkling very softly. He wondered if one of these stars were their home planet, but the painful truth was their home planet was already gone many years ago.

He needed to move on though. He cannot live in the past, yet he believed enough that sooner or later, he will face Frieza and all of this pain and trauma will soon vanish.

In the dimmed darkness and light, Raditz was all along awake in his bed. He overheard the conversation between Bardock and Kami. He knew of the history as well, but he did not want to be reminded of it at all. At times, he never really believed in it. Raditz pulled his blankets over him to keep himself warm and slept afterwards.

Goku put his mind back to reality. The history of the Saiyans was a pretty good history lesson he should take note of. "Wow, that's very interesting."

King Kai said nothing.

"So the Saiyans who are coming to Earth are powerful, right?" Goku made sure.

"You can say that…" King Kai said.

Goku thought about every little detail. He then stood up and showed a very serious face. He made a fist. "King Kai, I'm ready to get back into training."

King Kai nodded. "All right then. Bubbles, go ahead!"

Bubbles finished eating with his banana and proceeded outside. Goku followed the ape as he was ready to finish his training session, but first, King Kai called him out from the blue. "Hey, Goku!"

Goku turned around. "Yes, King Kai?"

"Do you want to rest? You have to digest all that food down," advised King Kai, shrugging a shoulder.

Goku gave a simple smile. "No thanks 'cause I'm always like this; always training afterwards whenever I eat. And what else…I'm a Saiyan!" exclaimed Goku, forgetting to mention to King Kai that he was one of the descendants of the Saiyan race ever since he set foot on his planet.

King Kai gasped in astonishment. "Huh?"

"My older brother, Raditz, told me. I need to train harder in order to defeat the upcoming evil that's coming to my home planet. See ya!" Goku then waved and headed his way outside. Even if he was still not convinced that he was a real Saiyan, at least he slowly understood that he _possessed_ the traits of a Saiyan; not any ordinary Saiyan, but a true Saiyan.

"He's a Saiyan?" King Kai was in deep awe. He should not be surprised, but he was. No wonder his student was able to handle his training sessions with less difficulty and struggle. "That explains why he's so different from the others. I could really see it in his eyes."

Goku pounded his fists together. "Okay, here I come! Hyah!" since Goku had already eaten and was in good shape and energized, he suddenly ran after Bubbles faster than one could imagine.

"Wow!" exclaimed King Kai.

Bubbles ran as quick as he could, but Goku seemed to be breaking no sweat at all. He might be able to catch him today. "I'm gonna get you!"

Goku then leaped and tried to snatch Bubbles, but the ape was smart to turn to hyper speed mode and sadly, he missed him once again. "Man, darn it!"

Goku stood up and stopped for a while. "Hmm…wait a second," he turned around to the opposite route, the other side of King Kai's planet. Since the planet was extremely small, it should not take him that long to get to the other side.

"That's it," Goku then sprinted the other way to fool Bubbles, to fool him of his unexpected arrival.

"Hoo hoo! Aa aa!" Bubbles made monkey noises, but panicked to see a running Goku after him at such a close distance.

"Okay, hyah!" with one bounce, Goku leaped as far as he could with his greatest speed ever and with one landing, he successfully caught the monkey's back with his two arms. "Gotcha!"

King Kai turned around when he heard the running noises of footsteps just stopped. He was surprised to see Goku having Bubbles already in his arms. Guess he needed food then after all.

"Yes, I got him, King Kai!" cheered Goku. He had earned the right to move on the next level. Not to mention that with his additional heavy weighted uniform that he never took off at the beginning earned him extra points.

King Kai was really impressed. "Heh, heh, well now. Guess your first part of training is done."

Goku was getting excited. He was already ready to take on the next challenge he will get. "What now? Are we getting to the real training yet?"

"Not quite," King Kai told him. "This is your second part of your training. Oh Gregory!" he called.

A bubble suddenly emerged in front of Goku's face like an illusion. And…

_Pop!_

"Hey, what's up? Nice to see you again!" Gregory greeted.

"Hey there," Goku said.

"Now, this is what you need to do," King Kai took a hammer from his back that just came out of nowhere. Goku had always thought King Kai was more of a magician than a master of jokes sometimes.

"The rules are simple. Just give Gregory a good tap with this hammer and you'll win," explained King Kai.

"Oh, just swing the hammer on him? Okay," Goku said calmly, thinking this will be easy as pie.

Gregory laughed at his easiness. "Okay? Is that all you're gonna say? 'cause I'm tougher than I look. Never underestimate me 'cause I just look like an ordinary cricket."

King Kai then passed the hammer to Goku. When Goku caught it, the sudden, heavy weight of the hammer brought him down. He tried to keep up with his balance and coordination or else the hammer would be a direct hit on his toe. "Woah! That hurt. It's like heavy metal!"

"Now come on, show me what you got. You may be good with jokes, but you can never catch me!" Gregory told him.

"We'll see about that! Rrrgh!" Goku put a lot of effort just to lift the hammer and have it ready for a giant swing. After he struggled enough to at least carry it, he realized he had already missed Gregory just seconds ago and that he was already behind him.

"Right over here," Gregory called.

Goku turned around, trying to take a good seize of the metal-like hammer. It was so heavy that his entire body was shaking from too much weight; make it more since the gravity was pulling him down too. "Woah, you're fast!"

Gregory then soared someplace else while Goku chased after him.

"I'll get you!" Goku yelled.

Since Goku was energized from the food he ate earlier, the most fearsome race's blood was inherited inside of him, and his positive thinking and personality, he might just be able to take Gregory down easily in just a short amount of days unlike Bubbles who he really had a hard time with, but Goku was a very persistent fighter who will never give up in challenges and who will continue to move forward through great improvements and opportunities.

"_My, he's catching up with Gregory already. I'm impressed. He might be the one; the one who can pass my ultimate test,"_ King Kai felt confident.

Goku had his hammer above his head, yet also a cheerful smile on his face. Before even the real training began, he was already getting excited. "Hah, hah!"

It was early in the morning at Kami's Lookout and all of the Z-fighters woke up fresh anew. They continued practicing their skills and techniques for the grand finale, to become stronger and better fighters in the future.

The sun was creeping over the mountains, ready to shine off its radiance. As the first shaft of light was seen, the Z-warriors, Yajirobe, Chiaotzu, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, Raditz, and Bardock willingly began their training very early in a refreshed new state.

Gohan woke up as well, admiring the beautiful sunrise. He took a wooden bowl beside him. He went out and said to himself, "Time for breakfast!"

Gohan then sprinted towards a tree filled with delicious fruits. Instead of climbing up to its branches to get them, he decided to give a hard punch on the trunk to send a heavy vibration to the crown of the tree and thus, a lot of fruits will fall.

"Here it goes," Gohan concentrated and with a short battle yell, punched the trunk. Though it left a painful bruise on his hand, a lot of fruits fell from the leaves of the tree. Gohan quickly got his wooden bowl and caught all the fruits that rained upon him. Once his bowl was filled, Gohan sat down underneath the tree and ate all of his breakfast with a satisfied smile on his face.

"This is good!" Gohan said.

Far away from him was Piccolo. He was floating in the skies. "So, he has gotten used to this training, huh?"

At Kami's Lookout, the Z-fighters began their training.

Raditz yelled with power as he initiated sets of concentrated moves. They had a flow of power them. "Hyah!"

Bardock shouted with spiritual strength as he leaped in air and trained in the skies. "Rargh!" his swift movements and aggressive blows stunned almost everyone.

Kami and Mr. Popo continued to watch everyone to see how they displayed such great demonstration of performance and skills. They were confident enough that with their support, they will be able to win the impending battle ahead.

Kami then stared at Bardock, remembering the history of the Saiyans yesterday that Bardock told him about. Bardock was no ordinary Saiyan, he could tell. In fact, he could already tell by feeling his power inside. The Saiyans may be a race of fierce warriors, but Bardock was a warrior who possessed a good heart alongside with the changed Raditz and notably Goku who had the kindest, warmest personality of all.

Little as they knew, Vegeta and Nappa, were drawing closer and closer near Earth.


	24. Companionship

Episode 24

Companionship

Three months quickly passed, and everyone was doing well. At Kami's Lookout, the Z-fighters were improving dramatically. Bardock and Raditz had never ceased to keep the Z-warriors on their toes, in amazement, from their dynamic and skillful fighting abilities. As Saiyan warriors, both just kept getting stronger and stronger. This surprised even Kami and Mr. Popo as they had never seen a being, particularly a Saiyan, immensely growing in strength.

As for Gohan, he had changed a lot both in and out. He was first a crybaby who had no confidence in passing the four-month survival test, but now he was a happy, energetic warrior who had now seen this test as a piece of cake, and considering he was half-Saiyan, wielding supernatural powers, living in the wild seemed to be an easy task.

Gohan was one day walking to the riverbank to catch some fish for lunch. As he walked and hummed happily, he saw a creature that was moaning in pain near the river. He rushed to its aid and realized it was a medium-sized dragon that was colored light purple with a yellow-colored tummy with its head having white horns spiked out from it. The creature did not have a scary face like some other dragons do, but rather it looked cute with its doll-like green eyes.

"Oh, hello there. Are you all right?" Gohan asked.

The dragon was scared at first to see Gohan. It tried to flap its wings to escape, but he was brought to deep pain.

"Huh?" Gohan noticed a huge wound on both of the dragon's wings. The source of the injury was unknown, but it looked recently new. Gohan knew it must be treated immediately to prevent any infections. "You're hurt. You need to get treated now. Here, I'll help you."

Gohan tried to touch the dragon, but the anxious creature roared and screeched as he was still frightened he might hurt it, but Gohan tamed it by softly patting its head.

"It's okay, Mr. Dragon. I'm a friend. There's nothing to be afraid of," Gohan smiled. The dragon gave a look as a reaction. Gohan then told the creature to stay put while he went to get some medicine.

Gohan left and found some herbs that were a natural remedy to heal common injuries. Gohan gathered a sufficient amount of it, and then returned to the dragon that was waiting anxiously for the boy to come back. Gohan then started grinding the herbs until all of their juices had come out. When he did this process, he quickly recalled something from the past when he and his father Goku were taking a walk in the woods, Gohan accidentally injured himself on the arm. Knowing some remedy to heal common wounds taught by his adoptive grandfather, Goku took up some herbs and then grinded them up and used the juices to heal Gohan's arm.

And that was what Gohan exactly did. After he applied the remedy on the dragon's wound, the dragon's wings had already gotten better. Though it cannot flap them still for a while, the dragon was now comfortable being around Gohan because of his help. As an act of gratitude, the dragon happily licked the boy's face.

"Hah, hah! You're welcome, Mr. Dragon!" smiled Gohan as he patted more of the creature's adorable face. "You must be hungry. Do you want me to fetch you something to eat?"

"Wragh?" the dragon looked a bit confused.

"I'll be back again!" Gohan said and disappeared once more. Soon, he came back with a lot of berries. "Here you go; fresh berries!"

The dragon sniffed them and hungrily ate them. The dragon roared happily in response, saying it enjoyed its satisfying lunch. Once again, the dragon licked Gohan's face.

"You like it, don't ya? I'm glad you did!" Gohan exclaimed.

For the next several days, Gohan and the dragon had been hanging out with each other a lot. They would sometimes play fetch together or a game of hide-and-seek. The game of hide-and-seek game always proved though that the dragon was an expert on it since it can easily find Gohan by picking up his familiar scent. At other times, both of them would bask under the sun or would take a short flight in the skies with Gohan riding on the dragon's back.

One day, while Gohan and his new friend were relaxing under the sun, Gohan sat up and said to him.

"Y'know, I haven't named you yet, Mr. Dragon. Besides, I think 'Mr. Dragon' sounds too old," he laughed. Not too long, a name popped in his head. "I know! I'll call you 'Icarus'! How's that?"

"Wragh!" Icarus liked his new name and began to roar happily, moving his tail and wings to show how happy he was. Gohan then embraced his friend and they both laughed happily under the clear, blue skies.

The next day, when Gohan woke up early in the morning, a feeling struck him that said he should go pay a visit to his mother perhaps. He missed her so much, and he just wanted to see how she was doing, especially him being gone for almost forever now. The problem was, Gohan did not know where their house was, but already intending to visit her at least once this year, he set out to find her.

He talked to Icarus. "Look here, Icarus. I'm gonna be out for several hours. I want to go see my mom. Just stay here, okay?"

The dragon tilted his head to the side as if he was trying to get what he meant.

"Don't worry. Just stay here and we'll play more when I get back, all right?" Gohan smiled. He soon took flight and left while Icarus watched him disappear.

As Gohan flew in the skies at a level where he was comfortable with, but still high enough to see everything in a bird's eye view, he searched from left to right to see his mother's house. He was hoping Mount Paozu was just near, but he was disappointed to know that he had not found anything yet.

"I can't see my house anywhere," Gohan sighed. "That's too bad, and I really want to see my mom, too. I need to let her know that I'm okay. I bet she's worried sick about me."

The sad warrior continued to fly until something caught his attention. Unfortunately, it was not his house rather it looked like an abandoned building, and in front of it were trucks that were surrounded by some adults and some children.

"I wonder what's going on. I better go check it out," he landed on the ground and hid behind one of the trees to get a better close-up of the scenario. In front of him were men and women in uniforms with clubs and whips. They were intimidating and hurting the little kids. The adults had mean looks on their faces. They were approaching the helpless children, chasing and scaring them.

"Aah! Run!" one of the kids said.

Another kid decided to fight back by hitting one of the men on his leg. The man held it, but whipped him back saying, "How dare you! You should be taught some manners!"

While Gohan was watching this, he felt rage burning in his chest. He cannot believe children would be treated like this. As a fighter, he intruded and caught the adults' attention. "Hey!"

Everyone including the kids turned to the young boy.

"No one should be treated like that!" yelled Gohan.

One of the men in uniform just snorted. "Pfft! You an orphan? If you are, be a nice boy and just stay still. I don't want any extra work, kid," he suddenly readied his whip.

"Aah!" Gohan backed off. He was still fearful in situations like these that he had forgotten all about his braveness.

The man was about to hurt Gohan until suddenly, a flying kick was sent to this face that sent him reeling. When Gohan looked up to see who did that, it was a young teenager, probably the oldest one amongst the children. He was quite handsome, had short black hair, a few scars on his face, and a red bandanna around his forehead. He looked like a fighter himself too.

"Who did that?" the man said, standing up on his two feet.

The teenager stood straight. "Leave now or else."

"Pigero!" one of the young kids said. "He's here!"

"Why you," the man said and then did a fighting pose. "Once I'm through with you, we'll take all of these kids with us. Woah! Check out my awesome kick!"

Pigero rolled his eyes. "How pathetic."

"Take this!" the man shouted and took up a flying kick himself, but Pigero easily dodged his attack and struck him on the chest with an elbow strike.

"Stop, all of you! Just stop trying to resist," a lady, who just came out from one of the trucks, suddenly said to Pigero and the children. "Think about it. Don't you want real homes and warm food for all of you? Aren't you tired living in a dump like this?"

Pigero bit his lip. "Stop telling us lies!"

Some of the other adults took him all at once, but Pigero easily got a hold of them by doing superb and skilled martial art moves. At the end, the adults gave up capturing the kids. They went inside their trucks to leave, but the adults declared that they will get them someday.

As they left, the children stuck their tongues at them, telling them to leave and never come back again. Once the automobiles were out of sight, they all gathered to see Pigero.

"Pigero, you were awesome back there," said a young boy with short hair. He appeared to be one of Pigero's closest companions.

"We wished we could have helped you, Pigero," a young girl said. She had ponytails, but styled in a bun-like fashion instead. She appeared to be another one of Pigero's closest companions, too.

"Nah, that's okay," Pigero smiled. "Just as long as we're together, we're gonna be okay."

Pigero quickly noticed Gohan whom the other kids saw him, too. They all approached him with friendly smiles.

"Hi there," a kid greeted.

"Are you an orphan like us?" asked a girl with a doll.

"Uh..." Gohan was about to respond until Pigero said that, that the question was too rude to be asked. Instead, Pigero asked for his name. Gohan was a bit timid at first and then introduced himself.

"Gohan, huh? I'm Pigero."

"I'm Chiko," said the little girl with the bun-styled hair.

"I'm Rom," greeted the boy with the short hair.

And the rest of the children greeted him also.

"I'm the orphan leader of the group and the eldest one," Pigero continued.

"You're all orphans?" asked Gohan.

Chiko nodded. "Yes, we are."

"Then who were those people who were trying to capture you not too long?" asked Gohan.

"They claim to take care of orphans, but never believe in what they say!" warned Rom. "They always say they promise you food, games, shelter, and whatnot."

"But in the end, they make you work tirelessly everyday in their workplaces," continued another girl.

"Yeah, they're a bunch of liars," commented a boy.

Gohan gazed at all of them. They were orphans, all right, but nevertheless, they acted together as one family.

"So I'm caring for all of them," Pigero said with a smile. "It's a lot of work, but I'm used to it."

Gohan was impressed that a teenager was already taking up such a heavy responsibility, as if he had an orphanage of his own to take care of, but when he looked at Pigero's eyes, he noticed a hint of sadness, confusion, and fatigue in them. He wondered why.

"Anyway, so where do you come from?" Pigero switched to another topic.

"Me? I'm from Mount Paozu. I'm actually on my way there right now," replied Gohan.

"Did you say 'Mount Paozu'? Lucky for you, that place is not too far from here. It's only two miles away!"

"Are you serious?" Gohan said with excitement.

"Of course! And since you're on your way there, I could take you there by ride if you like."

"Really? That'll be awesome. Thanks a lot!"

"Hey, no problem, but let's do it first thing in the morning," Pigero said who was now looking at the horizons ahead of him. "It's too dangerous to leave now. The so-called social workers are still hanging out at this time, so you may have to stay with us a little bit since you have no place to go."

"That's okay," Gohan nodded. "I could stay here for just one night."

Before the young warrior forgot, he just realized that there was something about Pigero that reminded him of someone.

"You look kinda like my grandfather, you know," Gohan said.

Pigero had a spark of interest. "Your grandfather? Really?"

"Mmm-hmm. He has that same bandanna and scar on your face. The only difference is that he has a very wild hairstyle," laughed Gohan. "What else, he's quite a fighter like you."

Pigero scratched his head and laughed as well. "Perhaps I should meet your grandfather at some point."

"You could, but I think you won't be able to meet him though since he's too busy at the moment. Sorry about that."

"I understand. There's no need to apologize. Anyways, welcome to our home, Gohan. While you're here, let's get something to eat for dinner."

"Yeah!" the rest of the children said.

That night, the children got some fruits, bread, milk, and water. The food was not much, but at least it was enough to fill their stomachs. Everyone happily munched away. While Gohan was eating some bread, he noticed again the same sentiments that were lingering in Pigero's eyes; that hint of confusion, fatigue, and sadness. Gohan wanted to ask what he was thinking, but thought it would be too rude to ask.

When the children went to sleep, Gohan stepped out of the orphans' place and gazed at the night skies. He was thinking of his mother again.

"Mom, I hope you're doing great out there," he smiled weakly. "Don't worry. I'll come back soon after my training with Piccolo...and Dad, wherever you are, I hope you're watching over me."

"...so..."

A voice caught his attention. Gohan quickly turned around and saw Pigero, sitting on the window sill, chilling out.

"Pigero," Gohan said.

"So you do have a family, huh?" Pigero approached him.

Gohan felt ashamed for not telling him the truth. "Sorry for not telling you earlier. I didn't want you to feel disappointed or anything simply because you're an orphan."

"Hey, that's okay," Pigero crossed his arms. "At least you have a sensible heart."

"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night anyway?"

"Night duties. The orphan capturers sometimes come at this time. I started doing this ever since Rom fell out from a tree branch. Heh, heh."

Some of the other children who were actually awake had heard what Gohan said about having a family. They came out as well, and Gohan once again apologized for not telling them that he actually had a mother and a father.

"That's fine. It's cool that you have parents," Rom said.

"Mmm-hmm," nodded Chiko. "Even though we had never really seen our real parents, I'd like to know what it's like to have a mommy and a daddy."

"I bet they give you all the toys you want!" assumed a small girl.

"What's your mom like, Gohan? Is she pretty and nice?" asked a boy.

"How about your dad? Is he strong like Pigero is?" asked another boy.

And the children kept barraging him with many curious questions about his parents. They were so many of them that Gohan could not answer them all at once. Pigero smiled at the orphans. He wished that these children would have families of their own so they could be happy and would not have to go through many more years of living a stressful life as orphans. He cut their chit-chat for a moment and proposed a brilliant idea.

"Hey, since we're on the topic, why not we _all_ drop Gohan to his mom's house?"

"That's a great idea," Gohan looked at him with a huge grin.

"Cool, let's do it!" agreed Rom.

The rest thought it was a good idea too. They all felt jumpy just thinking about it. They were now all eager for tomorrow to see what Gohan's mother was like.

Unfortunately, the next day, there was a huge chance that early in the morning, the orphan capturers would come again. That night, Pigero planned out their strategy on how to escape from the orphan capturers in order to take Gohan to his mother.

The next morning, the kids were all in their assigned stations. All of them were carrying rocks, pebbles, and slingshots to allow them to distract the adults in order for them to escape with Gohan and Pigero.

Pigero used his binoculars to watch for the orphan capturers. Not too long, he saw their automobiles coming. "Guys, get into your stations!"

When the cars parked near the orphans' home, and once the adults stepped out from their vehicles, they first thing they knew was that they were being struck by small pebbles and rocks.

"Scatter!" Pigero gave them the signal.

Rom, Chiko, Gohan, and the rest came out and started to escape. Some of the adults saw them and blocked their way until Pigero stepped in and gave superb fighting skills, easily knocking them out. Gohan helped as well. At first, he was uneasy to fight since he had never hit someone intentionally in his life before, but he must remember that sometimes, it was important to fight for what was right. When Pigero saw Gohan fought in a way that no ordinary human could possibly do, a notion came to him if he was actually not a human, but he shook that thought off, thinking he was just being plain ridiculous. When the adults were distracted from fighting Pigero and Gohan, the other children took their chance to escape, but the adults were too fast that they had captured some of them already.

"Pigero, help!" cried the children.

Pigero turned around. "I'm coming, guys!"

When he took a giant step towards his captured friends, a punch was suddenly struck to his face. Pigero was caught off-guard and he fell to the ground. When he stood up, his hands were then handcuffed.

Gohan stepped in and easily knocked out the person who attempted to snatch Pigero. Pigero, with all his strength and his determination to protect the children, easily broke the handcuffs with his bare hands! Pigero side-stepped and skillfully slid on the rugged ground. He instantly jumped and roundhouse-kicked one of the adults, but even with Gohan and Pigero's teamwork, some of the orphans had already been locked inside the automobiles of the adults. The kids pounded on the windows, crying for Pigero's help.

"Come on, Pigero. Let's go help them," encouraged Gohan.

For a moment, Pigero stood there, staring at all of his little friends; those bundles of joy that brought him many years of warmhearted and fun-filled memories. Ever since he found them almost half-dead in the streets of poverty, he had committed himself into caring all of these children to let them experience a better childhood, to become better adults in the future, but despite of his constant caring and teaching, even himself cannot...take care of the kids anymore. One teenager was not enough to bring these children into productive citizens he wanted them to be. He had finally decided that these kids needed a _real_ home just like Gohan.

He made a quick, last-minute decision. He instead grabbed Gohan's hand and they both went inside in an inactive vehicle.

"Pigero, what are you doing? What about your friends?" Gohan questioned.

"Never mind that!" Pigero shouted.

Before the adults could get to them, Pigero instantly drove off with Gohan, miles away from the helpless children whom Pigero had no choice but to give them away because he did not have any choice left. He heard their cries of help, their calls for their only hero and inspiration in life, which put him more into pain in his stressed and aching heart.

After twenty minutes of hustling and bustling, Pigero finally stopped the car. Gohan had finally been taken to Mount Paozu. All he had to do was to go through the short woods and his home would be in front of him to welcome him. When they hopped out from the vehicle, Gohan shouted at Pigero with anger.

"Why did you just leave them like that? I thought they were your friends? You were their hero!"

The young teenager punched the half-Saiyan to the ground. Gohan held his cheek, wondering why he did that.

"Can't you understand, Gohan?" Pigero bit his lip. Now there were tears flowing from his eyes. He was sniffling in between words, but he kept a tough face. "It's about time for them to move on. I can't take care of them anymore. Those kids...need a real home."

And that was when Gohan's questions were answered; the explanation behind the mysterious sentiments that lied in Pigero's eyes he saw last night.

"B-but," stuttered Gohan, "I thought they don't really take care of orphans. They would only mistreat them. I thought-"

"I don't know what to do at this point, Gohan," Pigero almost shouted at him. "I told you, I can't take care of them anymore. I've done everything I can!"

Pigero then entered the vehicle. He sighed and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Look, this is Mount Paozu. Just like I said, I'd drop you here so you could see your mom. I need to go now."

"Wait! Where are you going?" asked Gohan.

"Somewhere where I can find myself," he replied sadly. "Good thing you have a mother and a father, Gohan. Be grateful for that," he then looked at him with a weakened smile. "I'm glad I met you, Gohan. I hope to meet your grandfather as well when I have the chance. You're a really good kid. Keep it up."

Gohan was speechless.

"See ya," Pigero then drove away, leaving all of his sparkling tears behind.

Gohan watched him left. He felt awfully disappointed though that the children had to be left behind with those abusive adults. Did Pigero make the right decision of leaving them there? Did he have any choice?

To get his mind off of it, Gohan proceeded to greet his mother. He ran through the woods and through a field of white flowers with sunlight shining on it. After he passed several more trees, he finally saw his house.

"Mother!" he whispered.

Gohan saw her through the window. She was in his room, fixing up his textbooks and workbooks and also his bed. She looked well and healthy, and Gohan was happy to see this. He walked towards the house, and wondered how she would react when she finally meets him. He wondered how he will be able to tell her the stories of training he had gone through these past few months, and how Goku's friends were kind enough to help him become a great fighter. He was about to knock the door until he remembered the orphans. He remembered them telling him that he was lucky to have a family and that they wished they could experience what it was like to have parents. Just recalling what they said had made Gohan feel mysteriously hesitant now of visiting his mother. He felt that it was too unfair for the children to be left behind without a proper home to live in where they could all enjoy the many more years of their childhood, unlike Gohan who was already experiencing a wonderful childhood. Gohan began to back away some more. He suddenly sprinted away, getting farther away from home once again.

"Hmm?" Chi-Chi thought she heard someone outside. She looked out of the window, but she saw no one.

Gohan ran as fast as he could. Gohan felt that the orphans deserved to not just have any other real home like what Pigero said, but a home where they felt safe and comfortable without the fear of being abused or neglected. Gohan thought he needed to save the orphans fast.

As he ran hastily, he accidentally tripped into the field of white flowers. He regained his balance, but many tears built up in his eyes and were running down on the flowers like rain. He assumed that this was what it felt like to care for someone very deeply.

"Gohan?"

There was a familiarity in that voice that Gohan quickly looked up and tried to figure out who it was. In front of him was Bardock!

"Grandpa!" Gohan was extremely glad to see him.

"Gohan, it's you."

Gohan ran to his grandfather. He was glad that he was here right now. "How are you, Grandpa? I haven't seen you in a while!"

"I'm fine, but what are you doing here all alone?" Bardock asked. "Aren't you training with Piccolo?"

Gohan wiped out the tears from his eyes. "I am, but I just wanted to visit my mom."

"Your mom?"

"How did you find me here?"

Bardock was quiet for a moment and then he spoke. "I was actually following you for the past few days. I thought you were struggling under Piccolo's very strict and harsh training, but," he scratched his head and began to laugh, "I guess I underestimated you a little bit."

They stared at each other for a while. Bardock then confessed that there was another reason. "And I thought I needed to visit your mother to let her know that everything's going all right with you."

"Wow. I was actually going to do the same thing, too," Gohan found this as a coincidence. He tried to laugh, but tears came back in his eyes again. His smile of gladness to see Bardock was instantly replaced with a saddened frown.

"Gohan, what's the matter? Why are you crying?" Bardock now asked.

Gohan explained to him the story about the orphans and Pigero. When he told him the whole story, Bardock never knew that even a beautiful planet like Earth would have its own circumstances. In fact, every planet had its own share of problems. There was no "perfect" planet or a utopian society where everyone lived in peace and harmony.

"But I can't believe this Pigero kid just left them like that. I can't really blame him though," Bardock folded his arms. "He has done his best to take care of them for several years. I'm impressed actually. For a teenager like him, he's matured."

Gohan nodded in agreement.

"But we can't just leave the orphans in an environment like that. Kids don't deserve to live in that way. They're now under the care of wrong hands."

"What should we do then?" Gohan queried.

"I suggest we should find the orphans immediately and take them to a real and trustworthy orphanage somewhere. Do you know any, Gohan?" asked Bardock.

Gohan shook his head. "Not anywhere near my home, but there's one near Southeast City."

"Let's go then. No time to waste."

"Right."

Both grandfather and grandson set out to rescue the orphans. That night, while they searched, somewhere out there in the woods was Pigero sitting under a huge tree that looked like a hundred years old. Pigero was thinking about the orphans, his only friends in life. Ever since he had left them, he wondered if it was the right decision to make.

"...rrgh, rargh!" Pigero angrily punched the ground. His mind and heart were confused. A part of him said it was the right thing to let them go because the kids needed to learn how to be independent themselves, but a part of him said that it was the wrong decision to take. "I don't know anymore. I'm so stupid! I can't believe this... I'm so sorry..."

He sat there with his head down this time, letting the tears from his eyes splash quietly on the surface. He could still hear the joyful laughs of the children ringing peacefully in his head like melodic chimes and bells.

Pigero's eyes shifted from the darkness that was scattered on the ground to the white stars twinkling above him that looked like small pearls. After a moment, he made another decision.

Bardock and Gohan continued to fly high in the night skies. Bardock glanced at him for a moment and noticed he was a completely different warrior than the last time he saw him.

"Do you see them yet, Grandpa Bardock?" asked Gohan.

"Not yet," Bardock said.

They continued to search for the orphans or at least any signs of them. Bardock then saw a factory below him. He immediately stopped and resurfaced on the ground near it.

"Wait up, Grandpa Bardock!" said Gohan, landing beside him.

Bardock quickly hid behind a tree with Gohan tagging along. They took a peak on the factory in front of them. The factory looked damp and dreary. Gray smoke came out from its roof, and the place was simply a dirty workshop. Bardock then saw through one of the windows some working children inside.

"Hey! It's Rom and Chiko and the rest of the orphans," Gohan noticed.

"We came to the right place then," Bardock said.

"We should sneak in somewhere without the operators of the factory seeing us, and then we'll save the kids from there," Gohan suggested.

But Bardock smirked. "I have a better idea."

"Huh?" Gohan looked at him with wonder.

Inside the factory, the children were working tirelessly. It looked like they had not had anything to eat for the entire day. They were all sweaty and dirty. Some were silently crying for this kind of labor was too demanding, but the adults in uniform only made them work harder with their whips readied if the children dared to take a small break, even for a second.

"I wish Pigero was here," Chiko sadly said to Rom, wiping her tears with her rugged sleeves.

"But why did he leave us like that? It's so unlike him," Rom questioned.

"Maybe he doesn't like us anymore," cried a little girl with a broken bunny toy.

"Don't say that," Rom scolded her. "Pigero will come back. I just know it!"

"Quiet there!" said one of the adults who were keeping an eye on the children. "Keep your mouths zipped. We didn't allow you to socialize with each other."

Rom stuck his tongue at him. "You're a meanie! Our friend Pigero will come soon and beat you up!"

"What did you just say? How dare you speak to your elders like that!" roared the adult. He stood up and was about to punish Rom and the rest of the orphans until the wall behind him abruptly exploded into millions of pieces. It disturbed the entire room, if anything else, the entire workplace too. The explosion almost had the machinery inside the factory malfunction as well.

Behind the clouds of smoke were Bardock and Gohan. Gohan looked awfully shocked, his pupils going small, while Bardock had his right foot was up, indicating he was the one who disintegrate the wall.

"Grandpa, what was that for?" Gohan exclaimed, staring at him.

"Trust me. This is the fastest way to do it. The Saiyan's way, if you wanna call it," he grinned.

The adults were terrified. However he broke the wall, whether it be a bomb or his very own fist, Bardock looked like the kind of man no one should mess with.

"Who the heck are you?" cried the manager who was just coming downstairs along with several other adults to see the mess Bardock had purposely made.

Rom, Chiko, and the orphans saw Gohan, and beams appeared on their faces. "Gohan!"

"Hey, guys!" waved Gohan. "Don't worry. We've come to rescue you all!"

"Rescue? Pfft!" snorted the overconfident manager. "Look, whoever you two are, you're talking to the boss of this place and I don't appreciate jerks that don't knock at the door first."

"And I don't appreciate jerks forcing little kids to work in a rotten place like this, you goon," Bardock said seriously.

"Hah! You've no idea who you're messing with," laughed the manager. "Unfortunately for you, I have very top bodyguards at my service, trained to kick anybody's butt. They're top fighters, you know."

The manager's bodyguards soon came from different corners. They were about six to eight of them, all wearing black uniforms. Bardock though seemed uninterested.

"Go get 'em!" commanded the manager.

Gohan freaked out a bit when the manager's top bodyguards started to run towards him and his grandfather, but when he saw the courage in his grandfather's face, it reminded him of his training with Kami. In this world, he must remain strong. He must stand up and never be afraid to fight for what was right. Gohan decided to help his grandfather at this moment, but he momentarily stopped.

"What?" he said.

When the manager's bodyguards were about to pounce on Bardock, he simply stood there, but thrust out an invincible force field from his body that instantly sent the bodyguards crashing onto walls instead with funny-looking expressions and their pupils going up and down. Some of their teeth had also fallen off.

The manager was shocked. "B-b-but! Ho-how did he-how di-did you-do-do th-that? You did-didn't even t-touch them!"

Bardock shrugged his shoulders. "It's hard to explain. You may say I'm an alien or maybe even a magician, but the reality is that this is all real," he intimidated him with another grin.

The orphans knew this was the perfect time to escape. They all left their work stations and started to run away. A few of the adults saw the escaping kids and attempted to capture them, but the thought of Bardock being almost inhuman to their eyes kept their feet frozen.

"What are you doing?" shouted the manager to his employees. "Don't just stand there! Go get 'im, and don't let the kids get away!"

It took time for the adults to get back to reality. Soon, they all grabbed their whips and they scattered to different places. Some strove to retrieve the orphans. Some decided to attack Bardock head-on.

"Take this! Hyah!" one man did a flying kick.

Bardock raised a brow. He simply moved his head to the side, causing the man to realize that he had overestimated his speed and had miscalculated his distance. As a result, he crashed into the wall instead.

The others used their weapons to hit Bardock, but Bardock simply jumped in air and kicked all of their faces without even trying.

"Let's go!" yelled Rom to his friends.

They all tried to escape to a nearby exit, but only to come face-to-face with several more adults with their whips readied to serve the kids' punishment for trying to run away.

"Now, didn't we tell you the rules we had enforced here?" asked an adult with a rough moustache.

"As if we care about your rules!" Chiko yelled to him and his other companions.

"You need some manners, kid!" he said and was about to hit them all with his whip.

"Hyah!" but Gohan just came in time to blow the person away with a clean flying kick.

"All right, Gohan!" cheered the orphans.

The others decided to go ahead and capture the kids including Gohan as well using their own bare hands until someone instantly knocked off the adults. The orphans were at joy to see the one who had once left them without rhyme or reason had finally returned.

"Pigero!" they all shouted.

Pigero turned around. "Hey, you guys."

The orphans all cried in tears of joy especially Rom and Chiko who were his very close companions. They all huddled to embrace him. Pigero almost fell back from their enthusiasm, but was more than happy to know that they were all right.

"You came back for us, Pigero!" Rom snuffled in between words.

"Sorry for leaving you all like that," Pigero apologized. "You deserve a better life than this. Please forgive me."

"Aww, it's okay, Pigero," Chiko assured him.

"You came back to us. That's all that matters," said one of the little boys.

"Pigero," Gohan approached the leader of the orphans.

Pigero nodded. "Hey, Gohan."

But their reunion was cut short when Gohan noticed an adult was about to beat Pigero from behind.

"Look out, Pigero!" warned Gohan.

"What?" Pigero turned around and noticed that a knife was intended to hurt the kids, but Pigero instantly shielded his friends and instead, was sliced deeply on his left arm. "Augh!"

The children gasped in fright and closed their eyes after they saw blood.

"Pigero! NO!" Gohan felt that feeling of burning rage and fury in his chest. He quickly took the initiative and elbow struck the person who hurt Pigero and instantly knocked that person out.

Pigero held his left arm. Gohan came to him and asked if he was okay. Pigero tried to smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

At the other side of the factory, Bardock had effortlessly taken out all of the adults; some he did not have to lay a finger on. Bardock thought he could have finished this with his eyes closed with his two hands behind his back. After taking out the rest of the garbage, Bardock checked on the orphans, and he noticed Pigero. Looking at his face almost reminded Bardock of himself when he was a child because they slightly share a resemblance.

He was taken into alertness though to see the deep wound on the teenager's left arm.

Bardock ran to Pigero and quickly checked on him. "Hey, are you all right, kid?"

"It's just a scratch," replied Pigero. When he looked at his face, he was also surprised to actually see a little bit of resemblance between him and Bardock, but was more surprised to know of how young he looked! _"Woah, is this really Gohan's grandfather? I feel like he's not even thirty!"_

The manager had realized that his top bodyguards even his own employees had been brought down by Bardock, Pigero, and Gohan. It was too sudden to comprehend how all of this happened, but one thing for sure, he was in deep trouble. After Bardock quickly treated Pigero's left arm by wrapping a piece of white cloth around it that was taken from one of the children's works stations, he turned around to face the manager.

"Well, it looks like it's just you and me," Bardock said.

"Aah!" the manager was trembling all over.

Pigero, after recovering quickly from his injuries, said to his friends, "Look, I'll be calling the police. Just stay here."

"Right," they nodded

Bardock advanced forward until his powering shadow loomed over the manager like an angry tempest that was about to pour down heavy rain. He said seriously, "Listen well. You better leave these kids alone. I can't believe you have the guts to make them work for your own greediness. I've met several fools like you and people like you just make me sick!"

The manager though was too stubborn that he did not bother overseeing the consequences that lied ahead of him. "Look, I own this place and I do whatever I want, So just stay back!" the manager resorted to pulling out a gun.

Bardock just raised a brow.

"Take this!" the manager said, but a mysterious creature, which just appeared out of nowhere, instantly swooped down and scared the wits out of the manager, almost giving him a heart attack.

"What is that?" yelled the boss out loud.

Bardock wondered what that creature was, but only Gohan knew who it was. "It's Icarus!" he exclaimed.

"Wragh!" Icarus roared happily. He had been searching all over for Gohan and he was at elated joy when he found him. Seeing the brief trouble that Gohan was in, he had made the decision of helping his best friend out.

"Icarus!" Gohan ran to his dragon friend and embraced him with all his might. "I'm so glad you're here. How did you find me?"

In return, Icarus gave him a lick on his face.

The orphans were at first quite scared of the creature, but they quickly grew fond of it, knowing it was just a friendly dragon. They all came to him and petted him as if the dragon was their own.

Bardock folded his arms. The sight of seeing little kids smile was quite sweet.

"You won't get away with this!" cried the manager suddenly while still trembling, but Bardock suddenly teleported in front of him and grabbed him by the collar, frightening him more than ever.

"I told you to stay still, didn't I?" Bardock grinned and then placed his right hand in front of the man. A beam of light commenced to form from the center of his right palm.

"Wha-what? What the heck are you? Are you some sort of a supernatural?" questioned the manager.

"Maybe," Bardock snorted.

The beam kept getting brighter and brighter until the manager had finally begged for mercy. "Okay, okay! I'll let the kids go! Just put me down, you magician! Aah! Have mercy!"

Bardock stared at him with fiery eyes, but heard his pleads and put him down on the floor heavily. From there, the manager fainted from too much fright.

Soon, the police arrived from outside and handcuffed the manager, his bodyguards, and all of his employees for practicing child labor and child abuse.

As the police were cleaning up the mess, the chief of the police department spoke to Bardock.

"Good job, Sir. We were actually trying to find these ruthless people for weeks now. They were pretty good at keeping themselves hidden, but we knew we'd all fine them sooner or later."

Bardock nodded, saying that he was always glad to help anytime.

While the police were busy rounding up and preparing to send the adults to jail, and while the orphans were playing tag, hide-and-seek, or even with Icarus, Pigero and Gohan talked to Bardock for a while.

"Thanks for tending my wounds," Pigero held his left arm.

Bardock smiled. "No problem, but I think you should go to a clinic center just to make sure it's okay. You don't want any severe infections."

"I'll take note of that," smiled Pigero.

As Pigero scrutinized his face more, he began to wonder why there were no wrinkles on his face considering he was the grandfather of Gohan. Pigero leaned near Gohan and asked him, "Hey, Gohan. Is your grandfather _this_ young? He kinda looks like it. I don't see any signs of aging."

Gohan knew that Pigero may find it impossible to believe that there were aliens outside of Earth and that his grandfather here actually came from a different race of space beings. Gohan whispered back. "It's hard to explain, but my grandpa is actually older than you think. Heh, heh."

"What? No way!" exclaimed Pigero.

Bardock instantly had a vein mark on his head, conveying he was irritated to hear that._ "Did Gohan just called me 'old'?" _

The next day, all of the orphans were taken to their new homes; a real, licensed, and trustworthy orphan organization near Southeast City. An environment that was filled with flora and fauna, a place that was safe and comfortable, and also an environment of learning, it was the perfect haven for orphans. The orphanage was called "Happy Days."

"Thank you very much for bringing the orphans here," bowed the owner of the orphanage to Bardock and Gohan along with Icarus who were standing in front of the entrance. "I ensure you, they will all be happy here. They will eventually find loving families who are willing to adopt them."

Bardock smiled. "I'm glad to know that they'll be okay."

Icarus, who was with Gohan, roared happily in response.

Pigero, whose left arm had been already treated with medicine, him and his friends, who were now given baths and cleaner clothes with smiles on their faces that seemed satisfied, came out to bid Icarus, Gohan, and Bardock farewell one more time.

"Thank you for everything for what you've done to us," Chiko said who was giving a small pat on Gohan's pet dragon.

"Come visit us from time to time, you know," Rom said who was also petting Icarus.

"We will. Don't worry," smiled Gohan.

"I couldn't thank you enough, Gohan, Sir Bardock. I don't know how to repay you for your kindness," Pigero said.

"There's no need," Bardock shook his head. "As long you're safe and sound, that's all that matters."

His message seemed short, but very moving. Pigero was now even more grateful than ever.

One last time, Icarus, Gohan and Bardock said their goodbyes to the orphans while Pigero and the children waved back. Knowing that the children will be safe and happy, no worries filled their minds but eternal gratitude.

The three had arrived back to the place of mountains and canyons, where Gohan was having his four-month survival training. From there, grandfather and grandson both said goodbye to each other.

"It's time for me to go. Guess I'll see you again when the year ends," Bardock said.

"Okay then. Good luck on your training, Grandpa Bardock. And I promise, I'll also train extra hard," Gohan said in determination.

"I'll look forward for that," Bardock said.

"Wragh!" Icarus, with his purple tail moving back and forth, came up so close to Bardock's face.

Bardock backed away a bit. "Hey! And uh-have fun with your pet dragon too, Gohan; whatever his name is."

"His name is Icarus," smiled Gohan.

"Okay then...Icarus," Bardock said. "You, uh, make sure don't disturb Gohan in his training. Just keep him company, all right?" he told the dragon with uncertainty. Of course, why would a dragon understand English?

Icarus though roared happily as if he actually understood what he said. As a response, he licked Bardock's face.

"Aah!" Bardock exclaimed and felt disgusted as the feeling of dragon saliva was all over his cheeks. He clenched his fists. "Uh, gosh. You're welcome, I guess. I may need to wash my face after this."

"Hah, hah, hah!" Gohan could not help but laugh at this.

The winds suddenly blew hard for a split second. A presence was felt from behind. The three turned around to see Piccolo standing before their eyes. He had a solemn look on his face. Piccolo had actually seen what Gohan just did yesterday, and what he had done made Piccolo feel finally convinced that he was ready to move on to the next level, but Piccolo needed an answer from the young warrior first to see if he had found the hidden message of what happened since his training first started up until now.

"Gohan, tell me. What is your mission?" Piccolo asked.

Gohan thought about the survival training he had painfully endured for the past four months, but it was also a training that taught him something very useful in life. He realized how much he had changed as a normal kid, but also as a warrior, both in and out. The day where he met Pigero and the little orphans tested him if he was ready to face any kind of situation, even at circumstances where making decisions was crucial at the moment.

Bardock wanted to say something to Piccolo, but his attention was caught when Gohan answered his mentor's question. The answer that he gave to his teacher almost shocked both Piccolo and Bardock since it was a clear evidence that Gohan had finally blossomed.

"My mission is train to beat the threats that will soon come to Earth," began Gohan who was standing like a true fighter, "so I can gain the strength and courage to protect my friends and family."


	25. Perilous Test

Episode 25

Perilous Test

_BANG_!

"Hah, hah! Too slow!" Gregory mocked Goku as he missed again hitting his head with the hammer.

He was not going to give up, whatsoever, and so Goku gripped on the hammer tighter. "Why you!"

It had been a month since Goku was still in the process of trying to capture Gregory. If it took him almost three months to get Bubbles, how long will it take him to get Gregory?

But to reconsider, Goku was almost used to the gravity that his speed was much faster than ever before. If he pushed himself a little more to his limits, he may just succeed in getting Gregory in just a whole month.

King Kai was planting flower seeds on his front yard while Bubbles was watching Goku. Goku had also gotten used to the weight of the hammer, but not quite for Gregory's incredible speed.

"Hyah!" Goku made a huge hole on the ground. The fatigue was already getting into him, but he must persist trying to pass the second level in order to get to the real training.

"Right over here, slow poke," Gregory teased him.

"Calling me a 'slow poke'? Hyah!" Goku took a lot of effort and gave him a huge swing, but Gregory luckily got out of the way.

"That was close," Gregory wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Man, for a grasshopper like him, he's really quick!" Goku exclaimed.

"Cricket for crying out loud!" Gregory barked at him.

"Oops, sorry. All right, here I come!" Goku jumped in air to give him another swing at the insect, but the creature dashed before Goku could even hit him. Instead, Goku broke King Kai's only car.

"WAAH!" cried King Kai, tipping over on his back. "What did you do? You broke my precious car!"

Goku though did not care about that now rather he cared more about making himself stronger so he could help his family and friends down on Earth.

Speaking of Earth, Piccolo and Gohan, both mentor and student, had finally begun their real training. Their training had started since dawn, and Piccolo was giving his pupil already a hard time. Gohan had never anticipated this kind of rigorous and demanding exercise before, and the training was simply giving him headaches.

"Tyah!" Piccolo yelled, sending a punch to his face.

"Aah!" Gohan ducked in a frightened manner.

"Was that a cowardly evasion to my attack? You know that's not gonna help you," Piccolo lectured him. He gave a punch to Gohan's gut, which sent him to the ground.

Piccolo folded his arms. "You're improving a little bit, but the fight's not over yet. Now come at me!"

Gohan held his tummy. The pain was too much that he could cry, but he tried to hold back all of his crybaby tears. He whined as he got up. "But can we have at least a thirty minute break? We had been practicing for straight six hours."

Piccolo scoffed. "Feh, no complaints. Get up!"

Gohan still stood up. Piccolo watched him as he regained his posture slowly. He easily became impatient that he unexpectedly shot him with two laser eye beams.

Gohan was roasted like chicken and his hair was all fuzzy. "YAAW! What was that attack? That really hurt!"

"Hmph. It's called a surprise attack," Piccolo said. "Lesson number five: you must remain alert to your surroundings."

"But-" Gohan began.

"-no 'buts'," interrupted Piccolo. "Now get up!"

Gohan quickly got up and scratched his head. This harsh and strict training will be very, very long.

At Kami's Lookout, the rest of the Z-fighters there continued to train and practice.

Tien and Chiaotzu were balancing together on one leg. This proved to be an easy task for Tien since balancing was quite his specialty, but not so much for Chiaotzu as he was already losing his poise.

Yamcha was standing on one finger and tried to keep his balance as well, but he was a little disturbed by the butterflies that were touching his face.

"_Gosh! Get out my face! Do I smell that good to you?"_ thought Yamcha annoyingly.

Krillin was practicing by himself while Yajirobe was meditating like always. Krillin asked him once why he was always doing that exercise, and Yajirobe responded that it will help him ease his mind, but Krillin suspected he was only doing this just to get away from training.

As for Raditz and Bardock, the two Saiyans were having a stare-down.

"You ready?" Bardock asked.

Raditz smirked. "I'm ready when you are."

A few seconds later, they abruptly yelled and started to increase their powers by every second. This caught everyone in surprise especially to those where having their balancing exercises.

"Aah!" Yamcha finally fell down especially after getting distracted from the butterflies. "Oh man..." he grumbled.

In seconds' time, Bardock and Raditz moved at a very fast pace that it seemed like they disappeared instead, but the Z-warriors were superhuman enough that they could still see them, but barely since they were experiencing a battle between Saiyans of tremendous speed and power.

Chiaotzu was amazed. "Woah, look at them go!"

The two fighters showed themselves for a split second, to see that they had blocked each other's attacks, and disappeared once again as they persisted to overcome each other. After a few more seconds, Bardock was quick on his reflexes to finally had Raditz where he wanted him to be. He struck him on his gut full force. Raditz was stopped and slid on the floor.

Krillin clenched his fists. "Woah, Bardock got him!"

While Raditz laid there for a moment, Bardock stood in front of him with his arms crossed and a serious face. He was waiting for him to get up and when he struggled to do so, there was a little bit of blood from his lips.

Raditz stared at his father's eyes for a moment as if heat and flames of the passion to fight were there. He wiped the blood from his mouth and sat there for a while. He then looked at his father and grinned in almost an "evil way." "I'm not finished yet," he said.

Bardock grinned back. "That's what I want to hear."

This awkward father-and-son bonding moment almost freaked Krillin and Yamcha out.

"Man, are Saiyans supposed to be _this_ strong? I feel like they don't feel any pain," Krillin said.

"Yeah, tell me about it," agreed Yamcha.

At King Kai's planet, Goku, miraculously, was finally an inch away from passing his final exercise. Goku was swinging his hammer at Gregory full force that it was tiring the cricket out.

King Kai had just finished planting his seeds and watering them. He took the liberty to watch his student for the rest of the day. "Hey, he's catching up with Gregory after all, but he's still gonna regret for breaking my car!"

After escaping from Goku for a while, Gregory tried to regain his breath by hiding behind a tree. "Phew! At least he won't find me here."

But out of nowhere, Goku appeared and caught him by surprise. "It's over!"

"AAH!" Gregory shrieked, thinking he will get pitched very hard like a baseball bat hitting the baseball to the farthest ends of the universe.

_Tmp!_

His notion proved to be only fantasy as Goku successfully tapped Gregory on the hammer, gently and softly.

Gregory opened an eye.

"I told you I wouldn't hit so hard. Now, does it hurt?" Goku smiled.

Gregory became proud and laughed. "Not a chance."

"Oh really? Then what's that bump on your head?"

Gregory unknowingly had a huge bruise on his front.

After seeing this, Goku laughed out happily while Gregory growled angrily.

"Hey, King Kai, I did it! I caught Gregory!" Goku cheered.

King Kai clapped his hands. "Very good. I'm real impressed."

Bubbles cheered also and jumped up and down.

"You have passed two of my most prestigious exercises, and I must say at a fast pace too," King Kai chortled. "None of my students were able to do that, so I'll say that you did an amazing job."

"Thanks. I never thought I'll be able to pass your tests," Goku said, "but I was able to pull through. I even surprised myself."

"Well, we can celebrate this later," King Kai's suddenly became serious. "For now, it's time for the real training."

Goku felt a sudden rush of excitement and thrill in his heart that wanted to explode. He knew that the harder the training was, the more motivated he will get to make himself a stronger fighter.

It was already afternoon on Earth. Piccolo had only given Gohan a five-minute break and a quick lunch to feast on, and then they went back to their rigorous training.

Piccolo gave a claw strike, but Gohan evaded it and countered with a double front kick. Piccolo evaded his attack and then countered with a punch. Gohan was brought down, but what impressed his teacher was that he had his arms crossed to protect his body to reduce the force of the attack.

Piccolo nodded. "Good. You're thinking well, but you have to react faster than that!"

Before Piccolo could get to his pupil, Gohan lifted himself from the ground and went to his basic fighting position. Gohan had also surprised himself that he was not crying at all from this very demanding training. This only meant he was becoming stronger.

At Kami's Lookout, the Z-warriors continued to train after getting distracted from the little intrusion that Bardock and Raditz made. Yamcha was practicing in the corner, but then he stopped for a while and began to complain.

"This is ridiculous. All this constant training is boring me!"

The rest of his friends looked at him in wonder except for Bardock and Raditz who were still having their fight.

Yamcha confronted Kami alone. "Kami, I don't mean to be rude, but we've been training for nearly months and we only learned a little from you. I feel like it's not going to be enough for the battle that'll come in about four months. How about Goku? He trained with you. Perhaps you should teach us what you had taught him."

Even Tien, Chiaotzu, and Krillin agreed with their friend. They insisted for Kami to tell them the secret to Goku's immense strength.

Kami was silent for a moment, keeping everyone in suspense as if a great secret was about to be told that only a handful of people knew, but however, Kami only said this.

"NOTHING! That's what I taught him."

Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin's eyes widened, "WHAT?" and all of them fell backwards.

Kami then laughed and walked away.

Yamcha shook his head in disbelief. "Nothing? Then why Goku's so strong?"

Mr. Popo came in to answer his question. "It's because he knows himself."

Yamcha did not get him.

"How about you? Do you know yourself?" Popo queried.

"Of course I do," Yamcha spat. "You think I'm a dummy for not knowing that?"

"Oh really? Then how will you know if you are weak?" Popo asked again.

Yamcha was offended. "Weak? Calling me weak? I'll show you being weak, beach ball!"

Mr. Popo was not at all affected by his temper. He instead touched Yamcha's nose. "Don't get all tensed up. I want to show you all something. Please come with me, and also call Sir Bardock and Raditz."

Popo and the others went inside Kami's Chambers including Yajirobe also with the rice cake that he was eating. When the rest of them entered, Krillin stopped to call the two Saiyans.

"Hey, you guys," Krillin waved.

Bardock and Raditz stopped their training for a moment.

"Mr. Popo wants you all to see something," Krillin said.

They nodded, saying they will come.

Gohan and Piccolo were still having their intense fight.

"WAAH!" Gohan was punched by Piccolo that he was sent to the ground instantly.

"Get up. I'm disappointed that you're already tired after a while," Piccolo lectured.

"But Mr. Piccolo, this is really hard," complained Gohan.

"Just come at me!"

"Okay..."

Gohan went all-out on his mentor again. After Gohan landed a decent amount of good kicks and punches, Piccolo countered once again and sent his student flying ten feet in the air.

"WOAH! PICCOLO!" shouted Gohan and then fell flat-faced on the ground.

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Piccolo nothing. You're slacking off again. Get up. Your training is not over yet."

Gohan stood up and felt really exhausted, but he had to train harder in order to overwhelm the impending evil.

Back to the Z-warriors, they entered a very dark place; a place where only Goku went for his dangerous and intensive training. The only thing in the room was a plate on the center of the floor and a clock hanging on the wall.

"Dude, what is this place?" Yamcha exclaimed.

"It's called the 'Pendulum Room Peril.' This is where the past, present, and the future exists," Mr. Popo explained.

"Past, present, and future?" Raditz said.

Popo nodded. "That's correct. This is where Goku took most of his training here. That's why he's very strong indeed."

"Kakarot?" Bardock remembered his son.

Mr. Popo faced them and told them he could take them to any timeline they wanted and that was where they will be sent to. From there, they will be encountering certain enemies with different measures of strength that they must defeat. This kind of training will help fighters to discover new weaknesses and strengths in them once the test was done.

"I think we're ready for this next level of training," Tien thought. "Let's do it."

Yamcha nodded. "Yeah! But hold on...which timeline do you guys want to go to?"

Everyone pondered for a moment until Bardock spoke.

"Let's go to a timeline when the Saiyans existed."

"What?" Krillin including everyone were surprised. Krillin asked him if he was crazy, and this had Bardock chuckle because he was a Saiyan himself; as if Krillin had not figured out that Bardock was indeed a strong being.

"You wouldn't know the true strength of a real Saiyan; not unless you engage in a fight with a Saiyan," Bardock explained.

"But we always see you and Sir Raditz fight all the time," Chiaotzu said.

"At least we gave a good idea of what Saiyans are capable of," Tien said.

"True," Bardock agreed, "but I think it's about time you face a Saiyan in a _real_ battle."

Everyone was silent. In actual fact, the Z-warriors were afraid of the full extents of a Saiyan. Their minds were in doubts and their hearts were extremely anxious.

"Okay, let's do it then," Yamcha finally said. He was brave enough to move on. "Bardock's right. It's about time we test our strengths."

Everyone eventually came to agree with him except for Yajirobe who refused to go, thinking this training will be too dangerous for him.

"Come on, man," said Krillin. "We've already let you do whatever you want with your training. Why not you come with us?"

Yajirobe shook his head. "No way. I ain't goin' there. Not gonna squeal around like a guinea pig," he then sat at one corner and continued to eat his rice cake.

Krillin rolled his eyes. "Geez."

Raditz was a bit concerned about Yajirobe though. Unless he wanted to push himself to his limits in his training, there was no way he can even lay a finger on Nappa and Vegeta.

"Those of you who wish to go, please step on the middle of the circle," instructed Popo.

Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Raditz, and Bardock stepped on it.

"Now close your eyes and the next thing you will know, you are now at a different timeline, at exactly one-hundred years ago," Popo said.

The fighters closed their eyes.

"I wish you good luck, gentlemen," Popo said.

All of a sudden, green light started to surround them. A red, rectangular prism of light then enclosed them. After a spark and a flash, they disappeared.

Once they reopened their eyes, they now saw a destroyed city after a great battle was fought. Everything that was once well-built and structured was now reduced into ruins, piles of rubble, and ashes. The skies were all dark and the atmosphere felt tense and dangerous; this was now an inhabitable place.

Yamcha exclaimed, "Everything's all gone! I could really tell, there was a war here."

Tien looked at a crashed building. "But it looks like it just ended. Guess the fun is over."

Bardock observed the place carefully. There was a possibility he could have existed in this timeline, but no matter how hard he remembered, no memory was stored in his memory banks about any image or aspect of this now demolished city. Perhaps it was only the end result of the war that was messing his mind in trying to recall the city that he well knew of, or maybe he had never witnessed this great war, or he may have never existed in this time at all.

While the Z-fighters walked, Raditz almost tripped over a skeleton with only the remains of a helmet on its skull and a tail on its back.

"What is that?" Krillin asked.

"It's disgusting," Chiaotzu almost retched.

"...it's a Saiyan," Raditz said, its tail being the only evidence that it was.

"But not anymore," Yamcha said.

Raditz knew that he had never existed in this timeline, but he wondered what great battle was fought here. Was it another battle between the Tuffles and the Saiyans? Was it a battle fought in a different planet? What was the main purpose that was fought in this war?

_Woosh!_

A slight tingle in the air made the back hair of the Z-warriors stood up in alertness. Already, they felt something wrong.

"Did you feel that?" Krillin asked his companions.

"It's quite enormous. I wonder what it is," Tien said.

"Let's go around some more," insisted Bardock.

While they continued to observe, they noticed that the metropolis had a lot more dead Saiyan warriors with knives or javelins stabbed on their body parts. The place was real demolished that it almost convinced Tien that there no remaining warriors left.

"Mr. Popo must've been off in his calculations," Tien said. "It's over. There's nothing in here."

Yamcha though did not quite give up. "There's bound to be some survivors. We just need to look further."

As they walked, they continued to keep a silent observation.

Raditz then told them that they needed to stay close together. Lingering to another secluded area might lead to instant danger.

"Don't worry about me," Yamcha was becoming confident. "I can take on a Saiyan with my hands tied behind my back."

Bardock did not turn his head, but commented on Yamcha's boast. "Don't get too cocky now. You don't know how fearsome these Saiyans are. Believe me. I _am_ a Saiyan. I know perfectly well what our race is like," he then slightly turned his head until he saw Yamcha at the corner of his eye, giving him a stare that told him, almost commanded him, that to never underestimate the power of a Saiyan.

Yamcha gulped hard and was a bit frightened. _"Man, does he have to look at me like that?"_

"Raditz's comrades who'll be coming to Earth _are_ Saiyans," reminded Bardock, "and according to Raditz told me, they're stronger than both he and I combined."

Raditz stayed silent, but the rest were getting all tensed up.

Krillin was stuttering. "I-I think I'm ha-having doubts n-now about our training."

"Don't say that," Yamcha suddenly said. "We've progressed a lot these past months. At least it'll be enough to take down one Saiyan. Let's go!"

Bardock thought that Goku's friends had at least self-confidence in themselves.

They continued to investigate around the place.

_Woosh!_

Bardock felt that same energy again.

Yamcha asked, "What is it this time?"

Bardock was not certain. "I'm not sure. Maybe some remaining Saiyan warriors."

"Then let's keep on looking," Krillin urged.

They continued to investigate, avoiding tripping over the skeletons that were lying everywhere. Soon, Bardock was rather getting impatient.

"Tch!" Bardock clicked his tongue with agitation. "If only I had a scouter with me, we would've found them in a heartbeat. Wait a second...hey, Raditz! You have a scouter, right?"

"I did," Raditz said, but then sheepishly smiled, "but I accidentally left it behind at Kami's Lookout."

"Dang," Bardock said.

"Oh yeah," Krillin exclaimed. "A scouter, huh? Isn't that a kind of device that can detect any being from any distance? If so, then it would really help us right now."

As the Z-fighters and the Saiyans continued to search, at one corner, two peering eyes were observing the time travelers. One was actually a tall Saiyan and the other was also a Saiyan, but shorter in size. The eyes were within the shadows of the darkness behind demolished two pillars.

"That one small group there has only a power level of 1,510," the voice said, referring to Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Chiaotzu.

The other said, "They're fools. They have no idea what they're up against. Let's go show them what real Saiyans are."

"But wait," halted the first voice and pointed at Raditz and Bardock. "Those two right there. They appear to be one of us, and their total power level is-"

The device that were calculating numbers attached to his left eye started to malfunction.

"Impossible! A power level of-"

_BOOM!_

The sudden, unusual noise caught the Z-fighters' attentions.

Raditz turned around. "What's that noise?"

Bardock gave a smirk. "Must be remaining Saiyans…"

The two unknown Saiyans argued and panicked.

"Idiot, you should've been more careful. They might've heard us!" argued the first voice.

"Don't blame me," whispered the other one. "My scouter is not that high-tech."

"Perhaps we should go buy newer sets. Anyway, what's the total again?"

"Oh yeah! It's-"

Their conversation was cut short when six shadows approached them.

"So we've found you after all," Yamcha grinned.

Both of the unknown Saiyans did not freak out, but smirked back. "Heh, heh."

Yamcha clasped his hands together. "I knew there'll be more Saiyans. Now it's time to fight. I wanna get some intensive training going."

The Saiyan warriors chuckled evilly until they noticed Bardock and Raditz.

"Hmm, you there," the tall Saiyan said.

Bardock and Raditz raised their eyebrows in response.

"You're Saiyans just like us, right?" he asked.

Bardock gave a soft scoff. "What do you think? We have tails like you. Our powers are way up the scale. You think they're enough evidence to say that we are who you think?"

"Are you trying to mock us?" grumbled the short Saiyan. "No matter. We're elites and we could tell you're only low-class warriors, meaning, we can take you all down in five seconds."

Bardock and Raditz felt a sudden and tight feeling of rage in their chests when they were called low-class, but they kept their temper.

Raditz knew though that him and his father being low-class warriors was an actual fact, but he knew that despite of this given status, his strength, especially his father's strength, contradicted to what they were truly were. There were no low-class soldiers, but forgotten Saiyans who wielded a great amount of potential.

"You think you can take us down that quick?" Raditz asked.

"We don't think," replied the tall Saiyan. "We _know_. This world doesn't need any low-level soldiers these days. This world needs Saiyan elites like us!" without warning, the tall Saiyan surprisingly fired a powerful ki blast straight at Bardock and Raditz.

"Bardock! Raditz!" Tien yelled.

The Saiyan warriors laughed. "That's the end of them. Eh, heh, heh! Wha-what?"

Behind the clouds of smoke, Bardock and Raditz continued to stand with uninterested looks on their faces.

"What the heck?" the tall Saiyan said in disbelief.

Bardock twitched his eyebrow.

Raditz gave a grin. "Heh, heh. Nice shot, guys. You managed to shave some of leg hairs"

"It's been already ten seconds," Bardock counted, "and we're still standing. Now what were you were saying about this world not needing any low-class Saiyans?"

"Aah!" the two gasped in fright.

"Guess _you're_ the ones who are a bunch of low-class Saiyans after all," Bardock commented.

"Are you sure you're only low-class warriors?" asked the short Saiyan.

"It can't be. We didn't even lay a scratch on them!" remarked the tall one.

Raditz laughed quietly under his breath. "Let's just say we've already surpassed your power."

The two evil Saiyans began to back away a little. They did not know that Bardock and Raditz (and the rest) came from a future timeline. The Saiyans in the future were obviously stronger than the ones in the past.

After seeing how weak the Saiyans were, Yamcha stepped in and decided to finish the job. "Leave this to me now, Raditz, Bardock. I can take them on."

But Raditz refused. "Hold on, Yamcha! You can't take them yet."

Yamcha snorted. "Cool down, Raditz. They can't even beat Bardock and you! I bet they can't beat me either."

"But we're Saiyans! We're different from the human race," Raditz defended. "A normal Earthling would've had a hard time already!"

"Trust me, Raditz. I can handle this. HYAH!" Yamcha started to gather a sufficient amount of energy on his right hand. His palm created a sphere-shaped energy ball. "Check out my extra large spirit ball!"

He released his finisher "Spirit Ball" and tried to confuse his enemies by manipulating and making it move in different directions to mess up the timing and aiming accuracy of his enemies. While he maneuvered it, Tien, Krillin, and Chiaotzu decided to help their friend. Even though Raditz and Bardock had already warned them about the intense prowess of a Saiyan, this did not stop them from collaborating together to accomplish their goal.

Tien united his fingers together and gathered enough energy to perform his "Tri-Beam" attack. "Take this! Tri-Beam!" he then released a powerful ki blast from his hands with great aiming. Even though this attack will drain the user's health, Tien thought one Tri-Beam was enough to bring the two enemies down.

Krillin and Chiaotzu had just finished gathering energy to perform some of their special techniques also.

"Eat this! Kamehameha!" Krillin yelled.

Chiaotzu pointed his finger straight. "Dodon Ray!" an energy beam was then released from the tip of his finger.

The four attacks cornered the two evil Saiyans and shot the Saiyans down. Smoke and smolder swarmed the place. Krillin, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Tien cheered happily.

Tien made a proud fist. "Yeah!"

Chiaotzu happily floated in air. "We defeated them!"

Krillin cheered. "This is the first time I've ever defeated a true Saiyan!"

Yamcha laughed. "Whoo hoo! Now who's the man? I told you we can win. Hah, hah!"

But Raditz and Bardock had their doubts. Bardock could still feel their enemies' life forces. He just had no idea where they were.

"What?" he instantly spotted a figure behind Tien, but Tien did not notice it immediately since him and his friends were too busy celebrating their "unsuccessful" victory.

Bardock tried to warn him. "Tien, behind you!"

Tien stopped. "What?"

"Gotcha!" the tall Saiyan chocked Tien and started to suffocate him.

"Tien!" Yamcha snapped back to reality and instantly helped his friend by giving the tall Saiyan punches and kicks, but Tien's choker effortlessly dodged them all. The tall Saiyan was able to get the upper-hand and instantly struck Yamcha's stomach at full force.

Yamcha stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes nearly turned white, and blood came out from his mouth. This was the first time he felt so much scorching pain in his life, it was unbearable. He was too confident and foolish to underestimate the power of a Saiyan.

The tall Saiyan then grabbed Tien and threw him strongly to Yamcha, making the two crash on the ground hard like a meteor making an explosive landing.

The young kid Chiaotzu trembled with fear. "Oh no! Yamcha! Tien!"

The other short Saiyan crept on Chiaotzu silently.

Chiaotzu felt his presence and he turned around instantly. "What?"

"It's over, kid!" the short Saiyan grabbed Chiaotzu's head, almost breaking his skull. He then punched him on the back and hurled him towards the rest of his friends.

"Chiaotzu! You monsters!" Krillin decided to fight the two alone, but the two Saiyans created an energy wave bigger than Krillin himself that it engulfed him instantly without giving him time to go into defense. Krillin was smashed away and was sent along with his friends on the ruined grounds of the planet.

All of this happened quickly right before Raditz and Bardock could react, yet the two had enough of this.

Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu struggled to open their eyes. Their vision was blurred, but it was enough to see that the two Saiyans were about to finish them all off. They thought this was the end for them.

However, Bardock and Raditz teleported in front of the Saiyans, capturing their attention and stopping them from destroying their friends. Their glares of rage frightened their enemies.

Bardock tightened his fists and seriously said, "It's quite cowardly to deride other people who are weaker than you just to show off how strong you are."

"If you really think you're _that_ powerful, then why not pick on someone who's your own size?" Raditz growled furiously.

At the blink of an eye, Bardock and Raditz finally showed what they were capable of, despite of them being seen as low-class soldiers, by striking the two Saiyans' stomachs at full power. This time, their enemies were the ones who were experiencing pain they had never felt before.

"RARGH!" in perfect harmony and synchronization, both father and son then turned a full 360 degree angle to give out devastating, crushing turning hook kicks on their faces, almost tearing their skin and breaking their jaws.

As they were blown away, Bardock and Raditz gave simultaneous sidekicks on their stomachs, sending them away again at full speed. Together, both father and son teamed up together, and took them out by launching a Full Powered Energy Wave from their hands. Bardock released a sapphire-colored wave while Raditz had an amethyst-colored beam. The Z-warriors briefly saw this and realized how strong Raditz and Bardock were before they fell unconscious. However, they were relieved to know that they had comrades who can support them fully especially for their long-wait battle that will commence soon.

As darkness crept back again, the place was soon filled with dimmed lights.

"…huh?" Tien saw Yajirobe in front of him. "Yajirobe...Mr. Popo, Kami!"

And the rest of the Z-warriors were also there.

Yamcha touched his face to see if he was really alive. "I'm-I'm alive!"

Chiaotzu saw his best friend right beside him. "Tien!"

Tien smiled with relief. "Chiaotzu, you're-you're okay!"

Krillin scratched his head and was perplexed. "Hey, Kami, how did we get here? I thought we were fighting those two-"

"You never left," Yajirobe said. "You guys were just standing there at that very spot."

Popo explained. "Only your physical bodies remained here. With the help of this room, your inner conscious instead took you to a dream-like path."

Kami nodded.

"So how did it go?" Yajirobe asked, referring to their fight.

"Well…" Krillin made eye contact on Yamcha. Yamcha felt embarrassed. Nobody said a word because they knew that they were still up to no good in terms of strength, or at least that was what they believed.

Kami spoke up. "They all fought very well especially Bardock and Raditz."

Bardock and Raditz looked at the Guardian of Earth.

"I could see on their eyes that they both defeated the two Saiyans with the slightest effort," Kami said.

The Z-warriors gasped.

Yajirobe was taken aback. "Woah! Really? All by themselves? How could they possibly do that?"

"Bardock and Raditz have a similar kind of potential as Goku does," Kami said. "They are Saiyans just like the two comrades of Raditz that'll come to our world, am I right?"

Raditz nodded.

"I can feel that those Saiyans will be _twice_ as much stronger than the Saiyans you fought in the Pendulum Room Peril," Kami kind of held back in his words, trying not to disappoint them, but they needed to know the truth.

Their eyes widened with silent fear.

"Twice as strong? Are you sure about that, Sir Kami?" Yamcha queried anxiously.

Kami nodded. "As a Guardian of Earth, I know the limits of each person. I understand that if any one of you wants to continue preparing for the incoming battle, then there'll be no dishonor of doing so, but if you feel you must leave, I give you my consent. You need to make a decision now of what's best for you."

The Z-warriors remained silent. Kami and Popo waited for their response.

Just then, Yamcha spoke up and started to laugh. He decided to remain here in preparation for the battle. "Why would we miss it? I mean, we've worked hard for this and if we just continue to work hard, a lot of things would change."

Tien smiled and joined in. "Then if that's the case, I'm in too. Those two Saiyans will soon be nothing if we just train harder. This is only the beginning. It's time to get serious!"

Chiaotzu volunteered also. "I'm staying too! We need to help Earth and all of its people."

Krillin nodded. "Hey, you have some room for one more? 'cause I'm more than happy to help you guys out."

Yamcha made a proud fist. "It's settled then. We'll continue to push to our limits. Perhaps even make Goku proud when he comes back after a year to see how strong we've become."

"Let's get to work," Tien insisted. "Hey, Sir Bardock and Raditz, are you with us?"

Of course, why would Raditz and Bardock even bother stepping out from a fight that they spent so much time preparing on so they could help Earth's special forces?

"Why not?" Raditz said. "I'm in. Besides, it's about time I meet up with my comrades and give them what they deserve."

Bardock nodded, saying he will still join them.

The Z-fighters cheered and felt confidence and hope going back into their hearts. "YEAH!"

And so everybody continued to practice and train. They had to use their time wisely because time will soon run out.

Nevertheless, after the Z-fighters witnessed the intensifying, true strength of Bardock and Raditz, it motivated them to train to their utmost limits. It did not matter if it was Bardock's and Raditz's full power or half of their potential, almost all of the Z-warriors' anxiety were wiped out since they knew that, no matter how hard things could get, they had each other's support as companions, friends, and family even if it meant fighting until the very end.


	26. Last Day and Arrival

Episode 26

Last Day and Arrival

There was one day left before a year would have gone by. On the last two weeks before the arrival of Nappa and Vegeta, Kami was confident enough that all of his students had been taught everything they needed to know from him. Now, they can spend their last two weeks training by themselves and preparing for one of the most decisive battles of their lives. The Z-warriors were now excused to leave Kami's Lookout so that they may concentrate on training by themselves.

During those last two weeks, the Z-fighters had done nothing but practice day and night. The weight of fatigue may get to them, but it did very little to stop them from achieving their ultimate goal together.

The two weeks had never felt so quick when they passed, and on the last day before the Saiyans' arrival, most of the Z-warriors decided to commit their minds into a spiritual meditation to ease them and to lift all worries and anxieties from their hearts. This almost twenty-four hour meditation would restore their inner energies' natural order in which will make them ready to go to battle the next day.

It was now night and at Kame House, Master Roshi, Bulma, Turtle and a pink-humanoid pig named Oolong were having a simple, yet delightful party because they had finally collected all seven DragonBalls. The hunt for the magical orbs was tough work, but it all worked out in the end.

"CHEERS!" all of them happily said.

Bulma drank her grape juice. "Whew! All of the DragonBalls are right here in our hands and soon we'll make the wish of bringing Goku back to life."

"I'm actually quite curious on how Goku's doing now," Master Roshi ate some bean paste buns. "I bet he has been doing some serious training in the Otherworld."

Turtle asked, "But do you think that Goku was actually informed about what's going on Earth right now? Does he know that there's gonna be a battle tomorrow?"

"That's a good question," Bulma commented.

"I hope so," Oolong said. "I mean, I thought dead people in Heaven can actually see what's going down on Earth, right?" the pig suddenly laughed.

Oolong was first seen by Bulma and Kid Goku. He was a shape shifting pig like Puar who was once his shape shifting rival. Oolong was considered a demon of Aru Village before because he took young girls with him to take care of his mansion, but it did not turn out what he expected it to be because the young girls became comfortable of his wealth and thus, they simply chilled out and lived their lives instead of taking care of Oolong's house. Oolong soon joined Bulma and Kid Goku on their quest for the magical DragonBalls because Bulma thought his shape shifting powers may come in handy. Eventually, Oolong became a good being and started living in Bulma's Capsule Corporation located at West City, sometimes at Kame House. Like Master Roshi, Oolong was a "women chaser" and he hated involving himself into any kind of trouble.

As Oolong ate some sweet cakes, he asked, "Is it possible to wish for the Earth to be saved without really having to get involved in a fight?"

Bulma set her cup of juice on the table. "It could work."

Master Roshi agreed with her. "Let's try it anyway. Oh, by the way, Bulma, where were you yesterday? You said you had some business to take care back at Capsule Corp."

"Oh! I was finishing up Bardock's so-called 'Saiyan armor' since he said he needed it for the fight tomorrow," replied Bulma.

"Isn't that the armor that Raditz wore when we first saw him?" Roshi asked.

"That's right," said Bulma, "only Bardock requested his armor to be slightly different than his son's. He actually sketched it out for me. He's not really the best drawer in the world," Bulma started to take out a sketchpad from her purse and then showed Bardock's drawing to her friends, "but this is what it kinda looks like. I actually had a pretty good idea what he was trying to say though."

Master Roshi, Oolong, and Turtle saw it. It appeared exactly like the same armor that Bardock wore before the galactic dictator, Frieza, destroyed the Saiyan's home planet.

"Hold on," Master Roshi said. "How did you make it?"

"I took some of Raditz's once-broken armor pieces and just reproduced the same material," Bulma explicated. "I've never seen such a unique armor before in my life, so I decided to keep the shattered pieces because they may be something very useful in the future."

"You gave the armor to Bardock yesterday, right?" Turtle asked.

Bulma nodded. "Yeah, and he absolutely loves it. It was a perfect fit actually. I was afraid it might not fit at first since Bardock does have quite a bulky body."

Master Roshi sipped more of his juice. "Just like his son, Goku. I wished I was that muscular now without having to power up. You remember me doing it once to put out the fire from the Fire Mountain of Ox-King, but it took so much energy, I could barely breathe after that! If only our dragon can grant two wishes, I'd use the second wish to grant me youth again!"

Everyone stared at him quite weirdly.

"What? Can't an old man enjoy his younger days?" questioned Roshi. Not too long, his stomach felt upset that he felt he needed to go to the bathroom to do some business. "See ya!" Roshi said, grabbing his newspaper and heading immediately to the bathroom

Bulma snorted. "What an old man."

Briefly, Bulma remembered the day when Bardock along Krillin visited her because he was interested in wearing a Saiyan armor. They arrived at Capsule Corp and Bardock and Krillin were greeted with a warm welcome, and after they made themselves at home, Bardock then requested Bulma if it was ever possible for her to make a Saiyan armor considering she was one of the best inventors in the world, according to what Krillin told him. With no hesitations, Bulma escorted Bardock and Krillin to her laboratory.

"Now, what kind of armor do you have in mind?" Bulma inquired politely.

"Uh...well...it kinda looks like Raditz's uniform only...," Bardock scratched his head. "In fact, do you have a piece of paper and pencil I could borrow?"

That was when Bardock's sketch came to play. Like how Bulma described his drawing, even though it was not the best art in the world, Bulma was intelligent enough to see the overall appearance of his ideal Saiyan armor.

"Okay. I'll start making it right away," Bulma suddenly smiled.

Bardock was taken back. "Y-you mean, you know how to make it?"

"Of course I do," Bulma said. She placed her hands on her hips. "You're talking to someone who has made robots, rocket ships and such all her life. I don't think one little outfit is going to give me a hard time. All I have to do is to get pieces from Raditz's old armor that he left behind, reproduce that same material, and use it to construct your armor. Just give me a month to make it."

Bardock was surprised that she could do it that quickly, especially for a mere Earthling like herself.

Krillin only laughed and said to Bardock, "That's Bulma, all right. She's a great inventor. You can trust her. Oh, by the way, Bulma. Are you and Yamcha still okay with each other?"

All of a sudden, Bulma figuratively grew big and hollered at him like a mad dog. "Don't remind me about that cheater! You got that, Krillin?"

Krillin backed off and nervously nodded. "Okay, okay! Sheesh, calm down. I was just asking."

Bardock had a small sweat drop on his forehead.

In addition to Bardock's Saiyan armor, he also requested for Bulma to make him some Saiyan boots, a black long-legged jumpsuit, and instead of the red arm warmers that he used to wear back in his home planet, he asked her to make some armored, fingerless gloves that matched the black and green color of his armor.

"How much do I owe you?" Bardock then asked Bulma since he was asking her to make a lot for him.

"Hey, don't worry about it! It's all on me," Bulma patted his back.

"What? Are you sure?"

"Of course! The battle that'll be coming soon is more important than what we're all doing right now. All I ask from you is to beat those guys up when they come to Earth."

Bardock liked her confidence. "Sure. Thanks."

That was when Bulma's flashback ended. Speaking of her boyfriend, even though Yamcha and her had not been talking for a year now, after being informed that Yamcha had been training lately with his friends for the two new threats that will come to Earth and that Yamcha wanted to train harder in order to protect his planet from the forces of evil, Bulma's heart was slowly forgiving him. She also knew at the back of her mind, Yamcha was also training for her because he wanted to protect her.

Bulma looked outside of the window and sighed._ "I guess I could talk to Yamcha after the fight tomorrow to see if he's all right. I just really hope he had learned his lesson!" _she pouted and crossed her arms.

While the other Z-warriors kept up with their last day of spiritual meditation, there were a few who were using this last day to train one more time before Nappa and Vegeta's entrance.

The training grounds filled with nothing but grass, moss, and canyons was where Piccolo and Gohan were practicing together as master and student, and where Piccolo was giving his final test to his pupil.

Gohan had improved a lot these several months. His fighting skills were upgraded greatly including his offense and defense abilities. He seldom cried from little and irrelevant things now, and he had matured into a strong warrior both in and out. He was now almost like his father Goku, though there were still some differences. Gohan was still that timid-type and soft spoken person, but now had the will to fight, yet only for the purpose of protecting his friends and family; not for anything else.

Piccolo was fighting Gohan with all of his might while Gohan kept to a strong defense. As soon Piccolo landed his next attack at him, the half-Saiyan evaded it and moved back a few feet.

"Now do it, Gohan!" commanded Piccolo, now crossing his arms as he let his pupil do his special attack.

Gohan bent his arms to his waist and started to power up slowly. Blue aura engulfed and surrounded him. Suddenly, he put both of his hands on his forehead with his palms facing front as he slowly gathered a tremendous amount of energy.

"Yes, keep on going!" Piccolo encouraged him.

The young warrior bit his lip. This energy business was still a challenge to him, but it was not as hard as it was before when he first started to learn how to do combat. Soon, as he liberated his mind from all negative thoughts, relaxation and tranquility came into his body and his hands commenced to form a blinking beam inside from the center.

However, Gohan unexpectedly felt reluctant. A part of him told not to hit his master with this special technique because he was afraid the attack might hurt him greatly. Also, the thought of Nappa and Vegeta finally arriving to Earth tomorrow was bringing the boy into great anxiety, stress, and insecurity. The real fight would come very soon and it will soon turn into reality. This will not come as an illusion rather a real-life situation where it will determine the fate of Earth.

Gohan started to tremble.

"What are you waiting for, Gohan?" Piccolo was angered easily after he sensed his hesitance inside. "Are you refusing to come at me? In life, you need to make choices even in the most unexpected events. This is your final test from me. If you back off now, then everything what you've learned will be put to waste!"

Gohan gulped hard as he was trying to make a decision on not just only whether to hit Piccolo or not, but also about the incoming fight tomorrow if he should stay or forfeit.

"I need to stay...strong...!" Gohan whispered.

At King Kai's planet, King Kai was also giving Goku his final and hardest test of all; a test that no student of his had ever passed. King Kai though was confident in Goku's abilities of triumphing this one considering he had passed his other tests with flying colors. Goku had changed dramatically these past months. He was now a better fighter than ever; a fighter that was capable of finally standing up to new enemies that lived outside of Earth whose powers exceeded that of a superhuman being.

If Goku passed this last test, then there was no doubt he was ready for tomorrow.

Goku was raising both of his hands up high as if he was trying to touch the skies. Sweat started to come out from his forehead and body since this test required deep concentration and complete serenity of the spirit.

King Kai nodded. "That's it, Goku. Keep going. Just stay still, patient, and calm. Those are the essential keys."

Soon, white energy of sparkle and glitter were departing from all living things residing King Kai's planet such as the grasses, his solitary tree, and flowers. Their subtle powers were leaving for Goku's hands and were combining into one.

After waiting for a while, Goku started to chant some words to all of the living things that surrounded him, whether they were people or inanimate objects.

He closed his eyes. "Grasses...trees...flowers...all those who can hear me where I am standing now...please, lend me your energy..."

Even being renowned as the strongest fighter in his world, inside, Goku was deeply troubled about tomorrow. He doubted if he was actually well-prepared without the fear of thinking that he was still too weak and feeble to overpower the two Saiyans. What else, were his friends were informed about this matter? If they were, will they be in excellent condition, long enough to hold on and withstand the enemies' power until he arrives?

Will Bardock and Raditz be there, too?

One thing for sure, Goku's friends and family down on Earth will need his help. A lot of pressure was making his heart tire out, but this will not stop him from accomplishing why he was here in the first place.

A place on Earth where there were solely cliffs, ravines, and rocky grounds, Bardock and Raditz were also having their last father-and-son training together. Bardock was now wearing his black and green Saiyan uniform that Bulma made for him. This fight came about when Raditz told his father that he was still worried he would not be able to stand up against Vegeta and Nappa, his former comrades, now his enemies, because they were Saiyan elites, renowned for their unsurpassed powers, which had the capability to destroy an entire planet if they wished. Bardock though told him that he needed to start believing in his own power, believing what was in his heart because he knew for a fact that he, like Goku, was no ordinary son of his and that he can do great things. All he had to do was to trust himself. For that reason, Bardock decided to give him one more battle to remember by to give him a boost of morale.

Bardock and Raditz were fighting at each other in rapid speed, up high in the skies; so high that they were within the white clouds. Soon, they were engaged in a blows crash. As they fought vigorously, trails of their own aura were left behind like shooting stars in outer space. Their level of seriousness was way up the scale. They were both taking this intensely as if they were in a real battle.

"Come at me!" Bardock shouted, evading his son's rapid barrage of punches. "Let your fighting power burst! Don't be afraid of anything!"

"RARGH!" Raditz's burning fire within him ignited more, and he successfully landed a heavy jab on his father's face. For a split second, Bardock was stopped, but it was not enough to halt him for good.

This time, they did another blow exchange except Bardock was dashing backwards towards the ground while Raditz was dashing straight at his father like a struggle between two meteor collision. This time, their auras sparked up like lightning and fireworks. Once Bardock realized he was only ten feet away from the ground, he changed course and immediately moved his body upwards. Now, him and his son were confronting face-to-face. Raditz gave a powerful sidekick, but Bardock teleported behind him and gave him a sidekick to his back. Raditz almost lost balance, but he regained his posture.

"HYAH!" together, they both boosted their power levels, making their auras larger. They advanced towards each other and simultaneously did punches and kicks.

Invincible energy fields came out from their colliding knuckles like silent vibrations in the universe. Bardock and Raditz then did brute knee attacks at the same time. Finally, they locked each other's hands, struggling to overpower each other. They clenched their teeth as they both made every effort to see if one of them could break free from this and take the upper-hand.

Instead, they broke free at the same time. They briefly did a five-second blow exchange, and then came the fists again that collided at each other once more and forced them to move back. This time, they kept their distance and both decided to do their signature moves.

Raditz jumped and pushed himself back with his left hand bent away from his waist. His hand started to electrify in purple lights, and he yelled with great power.

"Saturday Crush!" he then launched a powerful energy sphere that was surrounded with violet lightning.

Bardock shouted, "Riot Javelin!" a immediate blue ki sphere was formed on his right hand and then was launched towards Raditz. This was similar to the technique he did against Frieza before the overlord destroyed the Saiyans' home planet, only this was the weaker version of it. Nevertheless, the Saturday Crush and the Riot Javelin clashed to dominate each other.

In Raditz's mind, he was thinking about his former comrades. He swore that he will show them how mighty he was now, regardless of what they think of him simply because they were Saiyan elites that they could easily beat someone who was weaker than him. He then thought about his younger brother, Goku. He was coming back tomorrow, and he was quite nervous to see him. He wondered if his brother had already forgiven him for the mistakes and sins that he had done. Nonetheless, when tomorrow comes, everything would change including his family and friends. He was eager to see them all how much they had progressed.

As for Bardock, he was more than excited to see his youngest child tomorrow; to see him perhaps in a new kind of state that no Saiyan warrior had ever been because he was simply a special son of his. He truly believed in this because he had received visions of him reaching new heights of strength than one could imagine. He was simply proud of him.

For now though, he was focused on the battle tomorrow. This will be the first time he will be facing actual Saiyan elites. Though he had witnessed an elite's potential many times, he never had the chance to see what it felt like. Bardock did not feel the slightest bit worried rather he was feeling quite excited about this new challenge.

Gohan, Goku, Bardock and Raditz were each persisting to pass their ultimate tests. They had the blood of a Saiyan rushing through their veins. They had the potential to become something great in the future. Strong faith was what they were carrying in their hearts that no matter what will happen, there was no holding back now, but to move forward and do their very best!

This consistent notion kept playing in their heads, and it was that pinnacle moment when Goku, Gohan, Bardock and Raditz finally revealed what they were made of.

Gohan's fight with Piccolo was almost finished. The young warrior was ready to conclude it.

His hands sparked up dazzling, golden beams of light. With a strong battle yell, he ultimately released his special move.

"Masenko-HA!" Gohan fired a beam of golden energy straight at his master while his master prepared for his attack.

"Hyah!" Piccolo strongly increased his defense, but when the Masenko came in contact with his skin, he had to admit that it hurt quite a bit. This was one indication that Gohan had become the kind of fighter that he wanted him to be.

"HYAH!" Gohan continued to shout with all of his might with the burning willpower sparking in his heart.

Goku had finished gathering energy from all living things. He started to lift his right hand and with a grunt, he put all of that gathered energy into this hand. It began to brighten up and be surrounded with swirly lights.

"All right. The Spirit Bomb is complete!" Goku smiled.

"That's good. Now, use it to hit this brick," King Kai rose up his hands and a solid brick quickly appeared from the horizons, moving at a very fast speed. It was coming closer and closer to Goku every second. "You only have one chance to hit it, so be careful!" King Kai said.

Goku focused his eyes at the coming brick. Its speed was so fast, it was so hard to follow it, but after he calculated the correct timing and trajectory, Goku finally found the perfect opportunity.

"Go!" right after Goku fired his Spirit Bomb, the calm energy converted into a perfect-shaped sphere of white and blue light. The Spirit Bomb was faster than the brick's velocity itself. As soon the Spirit Bomb hit the brick, the brick exploded into bits and faded into nothing but dusts.

As for Bardock and Raditz, their beams continued to overpower each other.

"RARGH!" they both shouted. Since the attacks' forces were equal in power, they exploded right at the center instead.

There were a lot of smoke, blocking their abilities to see each other, but Bardock and Raditz broke through it and finished their battle with their fists coming together and creating a heavy shockwave. The two then moved back and stood at one place for a moment. Their fiery glares on their faces appeared like they wanted to fight more, but Bardock believed that today, him and his son had just accomplished something.

"Raditz..."

Raditz looked at him curiously.

Bardock slightly grinned. "You make me proud."

He could not help but smile at his words. His calmed voice gave him more boost of confidence about tomorrow.

At that point, both father and son took a brief rest by watching the stars in the skies before taking a well-rested sleep for tomorrow. They stayed quiet for a while.

Gohan stared into his teacher's eyes to see what his reaction was after he showed him his powerful Masenko move that he learned directly from his teacher. Piccolo stood there for a while and then he nodded.

"Good. You're ready for tomorrow," Piccolo said.

Gohan's face was filled with gladness that he could jump for joy now. He widely smiled and gave a big nod. "Thank you so much, Mr. Piccolo!"

Several minutes after that, Gohan and Piccolo took a rest around the campfire that they set up. They watched as the fire burned of peaceful flames. Just before the silence became too obstinate, Gohan spoke up.

"I still can't believe it's the last day, but I trained very well, did I?" Gohan asked.

Piccolo said nothing; his eyes were only focused on the fire.

"I bet the others trained very hard especially Uncle Raditz and Grandpa Bardock," assumed Gohan. He then thought about his father. "I bet Daddy is also training, too."

Piccolo kept himself silent still.

Gohan smiled again. "Mr. Piccolo, I bet my dad will be very proud of you for training me. Thank you so much for tutoring me. I have the confidence now to beat the evil that's coming tomorrow. Maybe next time, I shall call you 'Uncle Piccolo' from now on."

Piccolo's attention was caught. His eyes widened and sternly looked at him. "What the? What are you talking about?"

"I just wanna show my respects and how grateful I am for you for tutoring me a lot of things."

If Piccolo had a mirror now, would he find himself blushing? He shook that pathetic thought off and then spat at him angrily. "Gah! Go to sleep, kid! Tomorrow's gonna be a rough day, so you better get some rest and be ready. Understand?"

Gohan nervously nodded. "O-okay! I'll see you, uh, tomorrow! G-goodnight!" the boy quickly lied down on the ground and slept with the warm fire soothing his plump face.

Piccolo scoffed. "Sheesh. Uncle Piccolo…how ridiculous!"

Deep in his mind though, Gohan was the first boy to have ever treated him so kindly despite of his cold and solemn nature. His student really _did_ change a lot. He was not afraid to be around him anymore. Perhaps Piccolo himself had also changed, too, if he could just see it with his very own eyes since his big pride and ego were getting in the way.

When Goku destroyed the brick with the new move of his, the Spirit Bomb, he could not believe his eyes.

King Kai clapped. "Splendid! My Goku, you make me very proud. I never knew you have that kind of power within you."

Goku scratched his head. "Eh, heh! Thanks!"

In spite of Goku's achievement of finally knowing how to handle a Spirit Bomb, it also held a terrifying, lethal side-effect to it that must be taken note of at all times.

"Listen closely, Goku," King Kai told him. "The energy you gathered from my planet is only a small amount, but when you return to Earth, I guarantee you, the Spirit Bomb will be five times stronger than usual. Using this technique requires for you to use it very wisely. Otherwise, if you heedlessly use it, the Earth will shatter and blow up!" he warned him. "You have to be extra careful. You got all of that?"

Goku nodded. "Yes, King Kai. I understand. I'll only use the Spirit Bomb when I need to."

King Kai was relieved to hear that. He then wanted to grant him a special award for passing all of his tests and also for having him train under him.

Goku was happy to hear it. "Really? What's the award?"

"You'll see," King Kai's two antennas lightly sparked up and they changed Goku's torn orange and blue uniform into a fresh, brand new one. The only difference was that on the shirt's back, it had King Kai's symbol, indicating that Goku was trained under him.

"Wow! Thanks a lot, King Kai," Goku liked his new clothes. "Does it still have my previous symbol though?" he referred to Master Roshi's symbol since he also trained under him.

"Yes, it's in the front," King Kai pointed it out, "and on the back is where my mine is."

"I couldn't really see it, but I'm sure it's there. Thank you very much, King Kai," Goku expressed his gratitude.

"My pleasure, Goku," King Kai said, "and I bet you'll be able to beat the Saiyans in no time."

Goku felt very confident. "Yeah!"

Both teacher and student were too busy though preparing for Nappa and Vegeta's arrival that they had completely forgotten how long it will take Goku to go back!

"What?" Goku almost screeched. "B-but can't you just take me there with an instant teleportation or something?"

"I'm afraid I can't do anything like that, Goku," King Kai anxiously said.

Goku's jaw almost dropped. "WHAT? So does that mean I have to travel Snake Way again?"

King Kai said nothing this time, but felt more anxiety building up. He shook. "The Saiyans will be coming tomorrow, but you'll get to Earth in almost two days!"

"Two days? Oh no! King Kai, let me talk to my friends please," Goku begged. "They need to wish me back with the DragonBalls this instant."

King Kai turned around. "Here. Just put your hand on my back and talk to them telepathically."

Goku did what King Kai told him to do and then he decided to talk to Master Roshi. He tried to feel his life force first. As soon he felt his familiar energy, he talked to him in his mind. At first, Master Roshi thought it was a ghost or his own hallucination, but Goku explained that it was only him. While the elderly man still recovered from his shock from hearing Goku's voice again, Goku told him to wish him back with the DragonBalls at this moment since the Saiyans will come to Earth tomorrow. Master Roshi replied back that he will certainly do it.

_SLAM!_

Roshi emerged from the restroom with his pants halfway down, showing his boxers. "Hey, you guys! Call the eternal dragon now!"

After everyone situated themselves outside, Bulma, Oolong, Turtle, and Roshi placed all seven DragonBalls neatly on the sands of the island. Master Roshi came closer to the orbs and chanted the magical words to release Earth's dragon.

"Eternal Dragon, Shenron, arise! I summon you to grant our wish!"

While it took some seconds for the DragonBalls to react to the words, Bardock and Raditz were having a bit of a talk.

"Are you sure that your comrades are stronger than both you and I combined?" Bardock made sure he heard him right.

Raditz neither gave a nod nor a shake. He only stared at the skies. "Who knows? Maybe they've been doing some training themselves, or maybe we had already surpassed them somehow. I'm not sure how to answer that question, Father."

"Don't stress yourself," Bardock crossed his arms. "I don't expect you to know everything."

Just before they talked again, something brilliant and luminous caught their attention. Raditz and Bardock quickly turned around and the first sight they saw up in the skies was a radiant beam of golden light. That light then suddenly formed into the shape of a dragon.

"What's that?" Raditz asked his father, his eyes were deeply gazing into it as he was mesmerized by its beauty.

Bardock thought about it for a few seconds until he remembered his son. "Kakarot's friends are summoning the dragon with the DragonBalls. They must be wishing Kakarot back to life!" he said with surprise.

"Kakarot?" Raditz glanced at his father for a second and then back at the light ahead of him.

When the dragon figure actually became a real dragon itself, in addition, dark clouds with lightning started rolling by quickly in the skies as if an abrupt tempest just came in. The rain clouds covered the night firmaments, but the dragon, Shenron, was giving light to where Master Roshi and his friends were standing so they could see him clearly.

Master Roshi, Bulma, Oolong, and the Turtle gasped in amazement.

The dragon appeared to be an eastern-kind dragon with green scales, a serpent-like body, long whiskers and horns on his head, small clawed hands and feet, and crimson-red eyes. He was colossal in size and wielded mysterious and magical powers.

Bulma stared at awe. "Oh, that's one huge dragon, all right!"

"Amazing!" exclaimed Oolong. Even though he had seen Shenron just once, he was not sure why he was still surprised seeing him again.

Shenron spoke in a low, echoing voice. "You have summoned me from my slumber. I can grant you one wish. Speak quickly so that I may leave."

"Wow, someone's a bit impatient," Bulma remarked.

Master Roshi was about to speak, but Oolong interrupted nervously. "Um, Mr. Dragon? Could you possibly save the Earth from the evil who will be arriving to this planet tomorrow? I mean, it's a long story, but-"

"Hey, you pig!" Bulma barged in. "We're not supposed to wish that. We're supposed to wish Goku back to life."

"Hey, let's do that some other time. We can always wish Goku back next year," argued Oolong.

Shenron said though that, that wish cannot be granted because it will exceed the power of God, which the dragon cannot do.

Master Roshi went on with their original plan. "Then we ask you, Shenron, to bring Goku back to life at once."

"That is a wish I can grant," Shenron's eyes glowed.

Because of the wish, Goku's halo started to disappear.

"Oh look, your halo's gone," King Kai pointed out.

"I'm alive again! Yippee!" Goku cheered.

"The Saiyans' arrival is due tomorrow," King Kai said. "Remember everything I told you. Also, keep in mind that every second counts so don't waste any time."

"I will do my very best, King Kai, but are you sure there's no other way for me to get back to Earth aside from traveling on Snake Way again?" Goku sounded disappointed.

"Well, there's another way, but I strongly recommend you _not_ to take this way! I'm sure you already know that there _is_ a way out of the Underworld, but I've been recently hearing some news that there's trouble down there at this time."

"What kind of trouble?"

"It's rumored that an ancestor of a Demon King is causing some mayhem. I think he's having one of his temper tantrums again. King Yemma's currently taking care of the situation. Even if you enter the Underworld, it's likely that you'll be forced to face this guy who is, I should say, a thousand times more powerful than the two Saiyans who'll be coming to Earth tomorrow."

"Eep!" Goku was surprised. "Gosh, and I was about to jump off from Snake Way the second I leave this place," he scratched his head with a nervous laugh. "Heh, well, thanks for letting me know. I guess I'll have to do this the hard way."

Goku stood at the edge of his teacher's planet. King Kai including his two pets, Gregory and Bubbles, came just in time to see Goku depart.

"Ooo, ooo, aah, aah!" Bubbles jumped up and down, wishing him farewell.

"Good luck!" waved Gregory.

King Kai nodded, saying it was time for him to go.

"Thanks for everything, Bubbles, Gregory, King Kai. So long!" Goku waved another time and then he hopped off from King Kai's planet and landed on the tip of the tail of Snake Way.

His journey once again resumed, but only this time, it was time pressuring.

While Goku slid down on the road, he shouted, "Whoo hoo! It's a total success! Now, it's time to head back home. There's some serious work that needs to be done."

As he flew at hyper speed in a race against the inevitable time, what Goku could only do now was to hope and pray for his friends' and family's safety.

On Earth, Shenron's task was finished.

"Your wish has been granted. Farewell!" Shenron then faintly disappeared until he was that beam of light again. The light went back inside the DragonBalls. The DragonBalls this time flew and spun in air; then, they all went into seven different directions and were scattered throughout Planet Earth once again.

Bardock and Raditz witnessed all of this. They caught one DragonBall flying above them, and they swore it looked like an icy comet up close.

"Where is it going?" asked Raditz, following it.

"I heard from Bulma that after the DragonBalls are used, they turn into stones and fly off to random parts of the Earth," Bardock explained. "Once a wish is granted, the DragonBalls can't be used again until a year has gone by."

"That seems kinda long," Raditz scratched his hair.

"Same thing here," Bardock said.

Turtle cheered. "Yay! Goku's back!"

Bulma jumped for joy. "All right!"

"Now the only thing to worry about is if Goku will ever make it in time," said Oolong.

"I'm sure he will. He's one of the best pupils I ever have," Master Roshi considered.

At Kami's Lookout, Kami had just sensed that Goku had been resurrected. Mr. Popo was happy to hear that and Kami as well, only he was just too anxious to know when Goku will arrive. All they could do now was to pray for his safe return.

The clock was ticking.

Gohan had finally slept while Piccolo was still awake. The green creature looked at the half-Saiyan for a bit. He then slowly touched Gohan's forehead and stroke back the hair that was getting into his eyes. For the first time in his life, Piccolo felt a feeling that inside; a kind of emotion that he actually cared for someone.

"_Do your best tomorrow. That power of yours is a great help to us,"_ Piccolo encouraged the young warrior, his first student, and the first person who helped his heart to finally...open up.

The clock was still ticking.

Raditz and Bardock went ahead to sleep in an open field under a tree. While his son slept peacefully at one side of the tree, Bardock was sitting at the other side of it. Before he took his slumber though, he gazed at the night skies one more time and thought about Goku. There was one question that kept repeating over and over in his head, keeping his heart and his eldest son's heart at worry: had Goku finally accepted him as his father and Raditz as his older brother?

There was only one way to find out. His questions will be answered tomorrow.

Before he slept, Bardock received another vision of the future. This vision clearly showed Goku fighting Nappa and Vegeta with his son using a technique Bardock had seen once in his mind, but was too long to remember what it was.

That night, the Z-fighters slept, wondered, and traveled, but could not shake off the thoughts of how the Saiyans' powers would truly become in sight.

Far beyond the vast space and the endless nights of the galaxies, two spaceships passed by; they were now heading towards the targeted planet, Earth.

When the sun's first rays crept onto the valleys and hills, the day had finally come when Vegeta and Nappa will make their unwelcome, virulent entrance.

The two Saiyan spaceships entered the calm atmosphere of Earth…or maybe not anymore since the Saiyans will darken the skies soon.

_B-dmp…B-dmp…B-dmp…B-dmp…_

The Z-fighters were anxious, yet also quite prepared for the Saiyans. Each of them were warming up by themselves as they waited for their opponents to come.

Yamcha was all by himself in a field of tall grasses. _"By any minute, we'll be facing our hardest fight ever."_

Krillin sighed deeply as he trained somewhere near a lake. He felt extremely worried about this day. _"Let's see if my training paid off."_

Chiaotzu and Tien were hiking in the mountains. Chiaotzu looked at his best friend. "Tien, I feel scared."

"Don't worry, Chiaotzu," Tien tried to calm him down. "I'm here, all right? We can work together and beat them. We can all do it."

Chiaotzu nodded anxiously.

The same place where Gohan and Piccolo spent their time training together, both mentor and pupil were also waiting patiently for the Saiyans' arrival.

Gohan's uniform had now changed similar to Piccolo's uniform, to indicate he had trained under him. Gohan's new outfit consisted of purple fighting clothes with a red belt and red wristbands including a white bandanna around his forehead. Not to mention, his hair had also grown long.

"Gohan," Piccolo spoke, intruding whatever he was thinking or feeling.

"Yes, Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan responded.

"Remember what I told you. Don't hold back," Piccolo reminded him.

Gohan nodded slowly. "Yes, I'll try to remember."

Suddenly, there was a sudden rush of sound in the unblemished skies. Gohan's and Piccolo's attentions were caught when they heard that strange sound drifting, almost quite violently in the atmosphere. When they looked up, they saw two burning spacecrafts that were about to land.

"Wha-what's that?" Gohan stammered.

Piccolo's face became serious. "They finally arrived."

Gohan's eyes widened. His heart was beating rapidly. His first brutal battle was yet to come.

When the two Saiyan pods had their landing and created a heavy quake on the ground, it caught the rest of the Z-warriors' attention.

"What's that noise?" Tien said.

Chiaotzu trembled even more. "Oh no…"

Krillin felt evil auras lurking by. "I feel an enormous energy. It must be them."

Yamcha felt the energy also. "Finally, they have come at last."

As for Bardock and Raditz, while they were flying up high, only Bardock could sense the energies in the air because Raditz had never really learned how to sense other people's energy yet. When his father stopped, his son did too.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Bardock stared at the skies. "They're here."

Raditz felt his throat twist. "They're here...?" he looked down at the land below him. "...Nappa...Vegeta..."

_B-dmp…B-dmp…B-dmp…B-dmp…_

Still having a scouter with him, Raditz's device reacted to the spaceships' landing. On the scouter, a yellow arrow appeared, that was pointing to the left, on the screen, pinpointing their location.

"They're over there," Raditz said to his father. "Approximately a mile from here."

With no hesitations and second thoughts, Bardock insisted, "Let's go. It's time."

The ships landed in a place where there were a few mountains and trees; almost like a secluded place where only wild animals can roam about. When each of the ships' doors opened and touched the craters they recently made, two people made their way out. When they exposed themselves to Earth, it was exactly the two Saiyans that Earth's special forces had been anticipating for ever since they were informed about their coming.

Nappa and Vegeta had finally arrived, and they stood at the edge of the craters. One glance at them quickly conveyed evil intentions lied within those malevolent eyes. No doubt that this was a definite fact because both of them shared one evil desire and that was to wish for immortality.

Nappa rubbed his moustache. "Hah! So this is Planet Earth?" he looked around, observing it. "It looks so different from the other planets we've been to. This one has a lot of green in it."

Vegeta folded his arms. "It won't be any more since this planet is going to decimate soon by our hands after we wish for eternal life."

"Well then," Nappa clasped his hands together. "Where are the people who are daring enough to face us? I'm expecting to have a fight now. Don't tell me they ran away from too much fright."

"They're here I'm sure," Vegeta was looking at a mountain in front of him. "I bet that low-level jerk Raditz had made some new friends in this worthless planet and informed them about our arrival."

Nappa started to cackle loudly. "I bet that pitiful Raditz was afraid to fight us alone so he called in some secret forces to back him up. Hmph! I knew he has always been the weak one."

While Bardock and Raditz were searching for Vegeta and Nappa, Raditz's scouter was on the whole time and was able to pick up his comrades' conversation. It was most infuriating when Nappa and Vegeta had just talked trash about him.

Bardock listened to their conversation as well. He stared into his son's eyes and within them he could see his rage.

Raditz's fists were clenching. He had never appreciated Vegeta and Nappa. Sometimes, he wished that he had never met the two because of how he was always being treated like an animal. "Darn those two...they're messing with the wrong person!"

"You need to calm down," Bardock tried to cool his head. "They're only saying that to intimidate you so they could take the advantage of the weaker side of you. You must forget about the past. You need to focus on the current strength that you have."

Bardock faced him and made a fist. "You're a reborn Saiyan! Never forget that."

Even at times where things were simply draining the confidence and hope of a person, there was always one who will remain a straight thinking ahead and that was his father, Raditz thought. Raditz could definitely see how his inspiring father had really changed a lot throughout these many years.

Vegeta scoffed. "Come on, no time to waste. We need to find the highest power level here."

Nappa used his scouter and when it started to calculate numbers, he was quite surprised by the results he was given. "That's very strange. There are quite a handful of people whose power levels are more than 1,000."

"Hmm, so they've been preparing for us after all," Vegeta guessed. "Not to worry. Just look for the strongest one."

Nappa moved his head slowly from left to right so his scouter can pick up a better signal. The device then informed him of two strong energy levels.

"Here we go. These definitely have the most power," Nappa chuckled when he read the first number, but when he read the second one, he felt himself trembling a little.

Vegeta looked at him. "What is it, Nappa?"

Nappa startled. "I don't know if my scouter is breaking or not, but the second one has a power level of more than 10,000!"

Vegeta was surprised to hear that. "More than 10,000? That's very unusual. That's the highest number I've heard ever since we left."

"Ugh! I can't believe we need to do extra work before finding the DragonBalls. Why can't they just back off to make our jobs easier for us?"

"Don't expect people who desperately want to save their planet back off easily. Come on, let's find the one who has the 10,000 power level."

Nappa felt hesitant though after the discovery they made. "But Vegeta, are you sure you're-"

"What's the matter, Nappa? Are you afraid?" he mocked him.

"Heck no," he defended, trying to hold back his fear.

"Let's go."

Before they went, two mysterious figures suddenly came and landed in front of them. In fact, they were the two Vegeta and Nappa were about to seek for. This was good news for them since they did not have to waste a fraction of their energies just finding them. Vegeta and Nappa smirked to see their expected guests.

Vegeta laughed quietly under his breath. "So you're here…Raditz."

Raditz, who was standing in front of his father, confronted his two comrades. He did not say a word, but his eyes told them that he was ready to battle them any time, even now if he had to.

At Kame House, Bulma, Master Roshi, Turtle, Oolong, and Puar were watching a television program until some breaking news suddenly interrupted.

The reporter was in front of a busy city that looked like its buildings were partially wrecked. "_It has been recently informed that an unforeseen earthquake had come out of nowhere. Though it occurred in an isolated place far from civilians, it was powerful enough to reach and wreck this city where I am standing at right now. It is with great relief that no injuries were found, but this earthquake though was suspected to have been made from two mysterious spaceships that were captured today by a witness. Here's a close-up of the image."_

Briefly, the image presented two rounded ships. The people of Earth may never figure out what these ships were or who was inside of them, but only the Z-fighters and their friends knew.

The reported continued. _"Calls for police and military forces are being sent right now to investigate further of the situation. Please stay tuned for more updates."_

Master Roshi felt very worried. He held his crutch tighter with his two hands. "The day has come. The Saiyans are here."

"Oh, Yamcha, please be okay," Puar sadly said.

Oolong bit his lip. "This is horrible, you guys."

Turtle sighed deeply.

Bulma stood up from the couch. "Why can't we do something? Why we're just standing here while our friends are out there risking their lives for us?" she questioned, feeling a bit guilty.

Master Roshi shook his head. "I understand how you feel, Bulma, but this is one fight that's way out of our league. We should know better to stay back than get involved. If we do interfere, we're only making it harder for our friends."

Bulma sighed and thought about her childhood friend, Goku. "Goku, where are you?" she said in her mind. She then thought about Yamcha and hoped he will be well too.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Before Bulma came to open the door, the overprotective mother of Gohan, Chi-Chi, suddenly burst in with a troubled look on her face. Behind her was Ox-King and surprisingly, Master Roshi's sister, the Fortuneteller Baba.

"Chi-Chi," Bulma did not expect her. "Hi! Um, what are you doing here?"

"I heard the Saiyans have finally come!" Chi-Chi panicked.

"Eh?" Roshi noticed his sister. "Oh, hey, Baba. What brings you here?"

Baba was sitting on her crystal ball that was floating in air. "I figured that you need to know how your friends are going to do against the battle with the two Saiyans, so I brought my magical crystal ball with me so you can see their fight."

"Oh, well, that's convenient. Thanks, Baba," Master Roshi said.

"I really want to see my Gohan," Chi-Chi felt she could cry. "This kind of danger is not fit for my baby. I need to know if he's okay!"

Ox-King tried to calm his daughter down. "Chi-Chi, don't stress yourself now," he held her shoulders.

"But how about my Gohan?" Chi-Chi yelled, already feeling tears coming.

"Okay, okay, don't be so hasty," Baba said, telling her to be patient. She hopped from her crystal ball. She spread out her hands and started to chant some words. "Oh, great crystal ball, reveal to us our friends who will endeavor a great battle soon against two ominous creatures that have finally arrived to Earth."

The crystal ball shone for a second and then within the outer surface of the sphere-like gem, it revealed Bardock and Raditz facing Vegeta and Nappa.

"Look, it's Sir Bardock and Raditz," Puar pointed out.

"So, that's what they look like," this was the first time that Oolong saw Bardock and Raditz. "I have to admit, that one looks a lot like Goku."

"Where are the others though?" Master Roshi referred to the rest.

For Krillin, Chiaotzu, Tien, Piccolo, Gohan, and Yamcha, they instantly felt four powerful energies standing at one particular place. They knew the two of the four were filled with goodness, but the other two were their anticipated enemies and worst nightmares. The four's auras were invincibly contradicting with each other. The real battle may not have started yet, but already, the four Saiyans' minds were already making battles themselves.

The rest of the Z-warriors went ahead to meet up with Bardock and Raditz and their opponents waiting for them.

Yamcha gulped hard. He could not feel a thing in his body, even the hard winds battering his face while soaring in air. "Man, are they strong..."

While Krillin flew in the skies, he thought about his best friend. "Goku, wherever you are, please hurry up. I hate fighting without you."

"Chiaotzu, look, why don't you just stay here?" Tien suggested him while they were both flying up high.

Chiaotzu refused. "No way, Tien. I didn't train so hard for nothing. Besides, I'm sticking with you."

Tien felt anxious that this might be a battle Chiaotzu was not ready for yet, but he was glad that his friend's confidence and assurance was keeping him on his toes.

Piccolo started to float from their training grounds. "Gohan, let's go. I bet the enemies have already found your grandfather and your uncle."

Gohan nodded. "Right."

Both student and teacher departed and headed for the battlefield.

The four full-blooded Saiyans were having a stare-down until Vegeta spoke.

"Well, well, it's good for you to come, Raditz," Vegeta greeted. "How are you feeling nowadays?"

Raditz looked at him. He said nothing.

"I guess the softness of this planet had finally gotten into your head," Nappa snickered. "That's too bad; to think you would betray us like that."

Raditz tightened his fists. "I changed because I'm tired of being the same, old, killer Saiyan that has murdered innocent lives. I have never found it to my liking."

"Oh, so you're giving up your Saiyan pride, huh?" Nappa scoffed at his pitiful words.

"No, I _changed_ my Saiyan pride into a new perspective," Raditz told him angrily.

This small conversation though was quickly becoming uninteresting to Nappa. He was more interested of witnessing some of Raditz's new powers.

Vegeta chuckled evilly until he noticed Bardock. His face was quite familiar to him, but it was too vague to remember that he mistook him for someone else. "Huh? Kakarot?" he thought.

Bardock gave a look.

However, Vegeta examined him more and realized it was not him. "No, wait a minute. You're not Kakarot, but I do know you. I was just a kid back then. I only met you once in my lifetime," he started to recall.

Even so, Bardock perfectly remembered his face. Vegeta was only a child that Bardock first saw him, but despite how much he had grown into an adult, Bardock could still tell he was the same person.

A flashback quickly showed. Back at the Saiyans' home planet, Planet Vegeta, all of the Saiyans gathered to celebrate Prince Vegeta's, who was only four at that time, birthday. A giant cake specifically made for royalty was given to him, and little Vegeta was about to blow the candles, but then the cake suddenly increased in size, grew fangs made of plastic spoons and forks, and…ate him?

Bardock's eyes narrowed and shook his head. _"Wait, hold on. That was actually a dream," _he scratched his head.

Vegeta looked at him blankly, wondering why he suddenly lent out a chuckle.

This time, the real flashback showed. All of the Saiyans were bowing down respectfully to Prince Vegeta, King Vegeta's son and next heir of the throne, as him and his father made their way towards the royal conference room since a meeting will be held soon. Even at a very young age, Vegeta's mind was almost thinking like an adult; almost acted like one. He was a proud, arrogant Saiyan carrying high pride and dignity. His strength for a Saiyan kid was way off the charts, no one would dare to challenge him.

Bardock was young back then, but now had the scar on his face. He was about to go to a mission at that time, but if King Vegeta, his son, or any member of the Vegeta family walked by, all Saiyans who somehow saw or encountered them must stop whatever they were doing and must bow to them respectfully.

Prince Vegeta caught a glance of Bardock. The young child with greater authority stared at him in a way as if he was interested in having a battle with him. Usually, young Vegeta would only scoff and ignore, sometimes humiliate the ones who were weaker than him since he only cared about taking on strong fighters so he could become the most powerful amongst his people, but there was something about Bardock that struck a notion in him that he was a no ordinary low-class. Bardock happened to stare at him back, but avoided to do it in a strange manner to not give any hints of suspicions or raise any questions as to why he was staring like that. Prince Vegeta then left with his father and the conference doors closed behind them.

The flashback ended. Even today, Vegeta still had that feeling, which he thought Bardock looked like a worthy opponent he could engage in a battle with.

"So, you survived after all from our home planet's destruction. I thought a low-class like you would have died from it, Bardock…" Vegeta said, knowing his name.

Nappa, however, never knew of his name; just his face. "Eh? Bardock?"

"Yeah, that's his name. Raditz told me. They're father and son."

Bardock remembered that day when Frieza almost slaughtered him with his powerful finisher. He could still feel the petrifying pain even to this day.

Bardock folded his arms and gave a slight grin. "Heh, yeah, you got that all right, but only on the understanding that I'm not a low-class Saiyan warrior anymore…at least in my mind."

Vegeta's memory had just been zapped again. "Hmm? Hey, I recognize that voice."

Bardock gave another look of bewilderment.

"You're the one who told Raditz about the DragonBalls," Vegeta recognized.

Bardock stuttered a bit. "How did you-"

Vegeta cut him off and tapped his scouter. "I bet you know that our scouters are also used as communicators."

Bardock gave a grunt of annoyance. "I know that."

"And you said that the DragonBalls are created by this strange creature, right? Someone who's not from this planet?" Vegeta asked him.

"Yeah," Bardock responded after a brief pause.

"I thought so. So then, where is he?"

"I don't know, but I do know that him and the others are coming here now."

"Did you say 'others'?" Nappa rubbed his chin. "Aah, so you do have allies fighting alongside with you. Good 'cause I'm eager to crush all of you."

Vegeta chuckled maliciously once again.

The particular city that was partially wrecked from the earthquake that the Saiyans' spaceships made, many investigators came in to examine the place.

Yajirobe entered the city to observe it also, and he was shocked to know that even if the two Saiyans had not set a foot on a village or city, they held the power to slowly disintegrate something without having to touch anything. Yajirobe felt scared just thinking of this. He had already decided to stay away from this skirmish, but he started to think.

_"Should I just spend my time fighting off the Saiyans?" _he asked himself.

After waiting for a few more minutes, Vegeta finally asked his comrade to check out Raditz's and Bardock's power levels.

"Sure," Nappa used his scouter. "Let's see here. Crybaby Raditz has…hmm…7,000. Not bad, but that's not even enough."

Raditz growled angrily after hearing this.

Bardock whispered to his son, trying to calm him down. "Raditz, remember what I told you."

Raditz held back his anger and nodded slowly.

"And for Bardock…"

_Beep, beep, beep!_

Nappa's face turned pale blue.

"What's the power level, Nappa?" Vegeta asked.

Nappa gulped hard. "It's…19,000."

Vegeta's eyes widened. For some reason, he felt his hands twitched. Bardock was quite shocked too to hear that he now possessed such a huge power level. He assumed that his near-death experience twenty one years ago against his final battle with Frieza and all the intensive training he did with Kami were the reasons that gave him this massive boost of fighting power.

The Saiyan Prince repeated. "…19,000? So…guess you're not joking that you're no longer a low-class," he smirked.

Bardock raised a brow. Judging by the look on his face, he did not look too surprised. He wondered why.

"Nappa, go ahead and plant those Saibamen for me," Vegeta commanded his comrade.

"Yeah, right, now that you mentioned it," Nappa took out a small jar from his Saiyan armor. "Yep. There are exactly six of them here."

Nappa planted the tiny seeds on the soil and poured some dark liquid on each.

Raditz just needed to say something. "What's your purpose for summoning some Saibamen? If it's for us to fight with, you know we can easily destroy them."

Vegeta clearly heard what he said. "Oh no, don't get yourself wrong. You both are not going to fight them."

Raditz hollered at the prince. "What? You think this is just a game to you?"

Vegeta scoffed. "No, but we would like to test those fighters who will be joining you sooner or later. They fairly have insignificant power levels that, I must admit, are nowhere close to your power nor Bardock's. Each of these Saibamen is as strong as you when you first came to Earth, so this should be a good challenge for your other comrades."

Nappa was done planting the Saibamen. "All right, here they come."

The six Saibamen started to sprout from the ground. All of the vicious creatures appeared right before their eyes.

"WRAGH!" the creatures shrieked.

Bardock and Raditz knew they were only underlying to them that they could easily beat the plant-like creatures in half a second, but they were more concerned about the plans that were hidden inside Nappa's and Vegeta's minds. What were they thinking?

Raditz whispered to himself. "We never know who each of us will be fighting against with."

While the four full-blooded Saiyans were waiting patiently, the other Z-fighters were on their way to the battlefield, and Goku was still struggling to get back to Earth as soon as possible. The purpose of their intensive training was to defeat these two coldhearted Saiyans, but will it be enough to stop them from their evil desires?


	27. Fight!

Episode 27

Fight!

**Disclaimer: I changed a little bit of the power levels on this chapter so that they will all make sense. Just letting you all take note of that. Also, I tried my best to be creative as possible when writing the fight scenes to make them all unique, so I hope you take the time to read the battle scenes to see the major difference. Thanks for all of your support so far. I appreciate it!  
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**Enjoy!  
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As the four full-blooded Saiyans and the six Saibamen waited patiently for the Z-warriors' arrival, the four Saiyans happened to stare at each other for a moment. They were thinking of how this gruesome battle will turn out. Who will end up triumphing in the end?

Bardock's senses clicked on him. He looked briefly at the blue skies. "I could feel them coming."

"They're almost here?" Raditz asked.

He looked back at Nappa and Vegeta. "Hopefully…"

Vegeta gave a look. He was quite interested of how Bardock was able to sense other people's energies without the need for a scouter.

The six Saibamen continued to screech and shriek like little imps.

Raditz stared at them next and was quickly reminded of that day when his own Saibaman self-destructed itself and caused his memories to be erased for a while.

Nappa noticed the serious look on Raditz's face. "Heh, what are you thinking about, Raditz? Thinking of a way to beat us? You know that whatever you're thinking is not gonna work."

Raditz easily felt irritated. "It's none of your business."

The two Saiyan elites just simply laughed.

"_Strange, they look calm like it's nothing. Are they hiding something?_" Bardock observed.

After giving time a chance, the Z-warriors were finally close. Bardock stared at the skies again and this time, he felt a cluster of energies.

Raditz saw dots in the clouds. "I think they're here."

Vegeta chuckled. "And just in time."

The Z-fighters finally took landing. Bardock and Raditz saw the looks on their faces and they appeared that they were all ready and well-rested for this fight. They all looked braced and also mindful and alerted to their surroundings. The Z-fighters were all carrying the willpower to battle with all their might and to fight until the very end.

At Kame House, Master Roshi and the others saw this through Baba's crystal ball. They were all very happy.

"Oh look, it's Yamcha!" Puar cried.

"Yamcha," Bulma did not know that she was smiling suddenly.

"Wow, they've buffed up a bit since the last time I saw them," Oolong laughed lightly.

"Yeah, they all look strong," Turtle agreed.

"And my Gohan is there, too!" Chi-Chi was at least relieved that her only son was all right.

Back at the battlefield, Yamcha approached Raditz and Bardock. "Oof! Sorry we're late. We had a hard time tracking you guys down, but man. You both look stronger than the last time I saw you! Have you been doing some secret training while we're away?"

Raditz shook his head and lightly grinned. "Not really, but you look strong yourself, Yamcha."

"Me?" Yamcha asked and started to laugh. "Hah, hah! I'm not sure about that, but whatever happens, we're all gonna be all right."

Raditz said that he quite agreed.

"Huh?" Krillin noticed the two mysterious Saiyans in front of them and he asked Raditz, "So, that's what they look like. Who are they, Raditz?"

Raditz replied, "The tall one is Nappa and the other one is Vegeta."

"I see," Krillin said and then scratched his bald head. "They don't look tough to me."

"Don't let their appearances fool you," Raditz told him. "They're more powerful than they look."

While the Z-warriors briefly talked some more to each other, Nappa told his comrade, "Look, exactly six fighters have come."

"This might be interesting after all; those six fighters against our six Saibamen. How neat. Each of the six can go against each of our Saibamen," Vegeta said.

"But how about the other two? Raditz and Bardock?" Nappa inquired.

Vegeta gave an evil smirk. "Don't worry. I have a plan."

"Oh, I think I know what you're thinking. Heh, heh, heh," Nappa chuckled.

Gohan approached his grandfather and uncle and greeted them. "Hi, Grandpa Bardock. It's been a long time since I've seen you. How have you been?"

Bardock looked at him. "I'm fine. I'm glad to see you, too. Hmm...," he sensed that the power within his grandson had grown so much. He was right in handing him to Piccolo. Now, he carried so much special power in his hands, Bardock hoped to witness it very soon. "I see that you exactly did what I asked you to do."

"Did what?" Gohan asked, sounding confused.

"I said that I wanted to see you as a different kind of warrior who's not afraid of anything," Bardock nodded, "and you just accomplished that."

Gohan felt his cheeks went red. He scratched his head and thanked him.

The other Z-warriors greeted Gohan as well. They said that Gohan just looked like Goku when he was a child. They were also surprised how much the young boy had changed.

Bardock smiled, but when he stared at Vegeta and Nappa again, he once again put his serious mask on. Even though his friends and his grandson had improved a lot this entire year, he felt more concerned about their strengths. He felt troubled if they will be able to handle what could be the hardest battle of their lives. He was seeing the future again and most of those visions concerning about this fight had not been very pleasant to look at.

Gohan then greeted his uncle. "Hi, Uncle Raditz."

Raditz turned around and a smile appeared on his face. "Gohan, it's good to see you again. You've grown up and you're a lot stronger than before. I'm impressed."

Gohan laughed happily. "Hah, hah!"

Raditz noticed his nephew's hair and he swore it looked almost like his.

"Oh, maybe I should get a haircut then!" Gohan laughed some more.

Vegeta was getting disgusted by their little gathering especially for Bardock and Raditz who he thought they had grown into a bunch of softhearted people. Saiyans were not supposed to show such tender and weak emotions, and Bardock and Raditz had just violated that. However, what he did not know was the two had already, like Raditz just said, changed their Saiyan prides into a whole new perspective. This change though was something that Vegeta just could not understand. Of course, his evil desire and selfishness were getting in the way from seeing the bigger picture.

Nappa spit on the ground. The brute warrior was getting impatient, and he could not comprehend anything about the significance of the Z-fighters' small reunion. "Feh! Stop babbling. Enough of this family reunion. Let's get on with the action!"

"Let them be, Nappa," Vegeta interrupted his companion. "Let them say their last words to each other before they die."

Nevertheless, despite of the pride that Vegeta displayed, in his heart, he was feeling a little hurt. It was in small pain because something about his father that…he never had the chance to say to him before he-

_"Ugh!"_ Vegeta mentally and angrily shook that pitiful emotion from his head. It almost had him retched. _"What am I thinking? This is ridiculous. I am Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans. I won't let this lowly life of mediocrity get into me. There's more important things in life than this. There's power and immortality…"_

Tien glanced at their new enemies. "The Saiyans are here. Be strong, Chiaotzu. Let's support each other 'till the very end."

Chiaotzu nodded. "Yes! We will, Tien."

Yamcha noticed the plant-hybrid creatures, which looked awfully revolting. "Ugh, what are those things?"

Raditz answered him. "They're called 'Saibamen.' They might look feeble, but they're very mischievous and dangerous. I need to warn all of you," he caught the rest of the attention of his companions. "They can self-destruct at will. If you get caught in that, you'll be gone for good."

Yamcha cracked his fingers. "Thanks for the warning, but I'll make sure they won't lay a finger on me. Now it's time to fight!" he was ready to commence the battle.

"A little enthusiastic, huh?" Nappa heard him and cracked his knuckles too. "You must be in a hurry to die."

Yamcha snorted. "No, I'm not here to die. I'm here to beat you, freaks."

The one who had not said a word ever since he set foot on the battleground was Piccolo. He was too serious in thinking how strong Nappa and Vegeta could be. He was getting all pressured especially after sensing their towering life forces, but should he not worry now that Raditz and Bardock were there by their sides?

It was then Vegeta noticed him. He did not look too surprised to see a being that obviously looked different from the inhabitants of Earth. In fact, he knew what his race was. "A Namekian is also planning to join the fight, huh?"

Piccolo's eyes widened. "…a Namekian?"

"The one who _holds_ the knowledge of the DragonBalls because he originally came from Planet Namek, am I right?" Vegeta asked.

Piccolo was still unsure of what he was saying.

Krillin looked at him. "Hey, Piccolo, I didn't know you came from a different planet. Well, obviously. Duh, Krillin, why you're stupid sometimes?" he knocked his head lightly, laughing nervously.

"Is it true, Mr. Piccolo? Did you actually come from Planet Namek before you settled here on Earth?" Gohan asked.

Piccolo started to sweat. He growled with frustration. "So, I'm from Namek. I'm not really sure, but somehow I know…!" he had no lingering memories in his mind as to how he arrived on Earth, but deep down, he had always felt there was something more than to his outer appearance that always stood out in a crowd. He somehow knew that he actually came from a different planet.

"Oh, come on now," Nappa said. "Even Bardock and Raditz would've known that. Did they tell a word about it to you?" he asked Piccolo. "I mean, they're Saiyans like us, right? We used to work together so we know everything that there is to know."

Piccolo glimpsed at Bardock and Raditz to receive an answer from them, but the two were too focused on Vegeta and Nappa.

At Kami's Lookout, Kami was standing at the edge of his tower. He was seeing everything what was going on down on Earth's soil, and after Piccolo was told about his true nature, Kami, his counterpart, had finally figured out why he had such the potential to create the magical DragonBalls.

"Since we're on the subject," Vegeta continued, "let's talk about the DragonBalls for a second. I know you have all seven and we're wondering if you could tell their locations so we can wish for something that we've been yearning for years."

Piccolo was surprised to hear this. "How do you know about them?"

Vegeta glanced at Bardock. "Your fellow friend here, Bardock, told Raditz about the DragonBalls. All of that information was sent to my scouter here," he tapped his device. "So, I'll ask again. Where are the DragonBalls?"

Piccolo clenched his fists tightly. Anger was swelling in his chest. "Though I should care less about Earth now because I came from a different planet called Namek, I grew up here and this is _my_ home now. I will _not_ tell you where they are. We've trained hard to prepare for you two. That's the reason why we're here. We're here to fight!" Piccolo courageously took off his turbine and cape and revealed his fighting clothes that were very similar to Gohan's. There was no time to worry. This was the time when Piccolo and the rest battle these two Saiyans.

Bardock crossed his arms and looked at the Namekian and he grinned. _"That vision was perfectly true. He has become one of us." _

Vegeta gave a small chuckle. "Why am I wasting five minutes just talking to you? Even though you're dead or alive, we can always use our scouters to track the DragonBalls down."

"That's right. Better prepare yourself," Nappa grinned.

Piccolo clenched his teeth together. "Darn…"

The atmosphere was becoming tensed up. Everyone was feeling mixed emotions, but the good fighters knew they came here for a worthy purpose.

Yamcha stepped forward. "All right, bring the alien brigade forward. I can take you all at once," he said confidently.

Bardock face-palmed himself. "Here he goes again."

"Check their power levels, Nappa," Vegeta commanded him.

_Beep, beep, beep!_

Nappa nodded. "All right, the small kid has 1,000, Namekian is at 1,300, the bald midget's 1,100, third-eye freak's 1,200, hand-puppet has 900, and the scarred face is at 1,100," after he received the results, he laughed at these. "Such puny power levels!"

Krillin rolled his eyes. "The name calling was very unnecessary, thank you!"

"Why not?" Nappa mocked him. "The truth is you all have puny power levels."

"Don't get fooled by these scums, Nappa. Take off your scouter," Vegeta commanded.

Nappa gave a puzzling look. "Why, Vegeta?"

"We're facing warriors who have the ability to suppress their energy levels and raise them at their own will."

"Hey, good call. Now I remember that pathetic loser, Raditz, got himself fooled by these power levels. Heh, no wonder why," Nappa also took off his scouter.

Raditz growled at his mockery. "You…!"

Bardock almost raised his voice that everyone heard him. "Raditz, don't forget what I said. Just focus on yourself."

Raditz held back his anger again. "Right."

Gohan had no idea what had gotten into his uncle, but he was quite concerned about him.

Yamcha noticed Krillin trembling and feeling all sweaty about this fight. He calmed him down by giving a light pat on his back. "Hey, if we just work together, we can beat them all up!"

Krillin gulped hard. "Here comes the hardest battle of our lives."

Bardock just needed to say something to Yamcha concerning of, what he thought to be, his calm outlook that looked pretended. "Yamcha, you're actually feeling really nervous, aren't you?" he lightly mocked him.

Yamcha tried to be confident by veiling his real feelings inside though he easily confessed. "I am, of course! This is too nerve-racking. It's been a long time since I've fought in a major battle like this."

Vegeta stared down at the six Saibamen and gave them his orders. "You can all go ahead and choose any fighter you want. Don't hold back. I hate to be disappointed. Aim for the six fighters only. Leave Raditz and Bardock alone."

Before the pressuring battle started, Bardock felt he needed to say something important to the Z-fighters first; something for them to think about. Being the former leader of a squad of his back in his home planet, Bardock thought they needed some words of inspiration because he could feel their hearts at worry and he wanted to ease their anxieties.

"Look, guys," Bardock began and the Z-warriors listened to him. "Always stick and work together. Don't think one of you could do this alone. Don't bother getting afraid because there's no place for that now."

He faced them and gave them a proud fist. "We're all here to fight 'till the very end, and if we must die, then let's die with honor and pride! It's never wrong to fight for what's right."

Everyone was speechless, yet moved by his speech. The Z-warriors quickly had that feeling that Goku was actually with them because he was that kind of person who would talk like that in situations like these. Nevertheless, even Goku without them, they all must work together. They all must look after each other because they will never know who might end up falling or end up winning.

Gohan though felt he could cry in tears of joy. Just looking at his grandfather always made him see his father like a mirage that was supposed to give him encouragement inside. His loving father was the very one who he cannot wait to see and jump into his arms again.

"WRAGH!" the Saibamen intruded and at once, they flew in air. They went closer and closer. The Z-fighters quickly realized that they just passed by Bardock and Raditz as if they were only bystanders. Instead, they headed directly to them to make them their first targets.

Gohan, after being moved by Bardock's speech and despite of the strong power he was already carrying in his own hands and all the training that he did the past one year to prepare for this battle, suddenly became frightened of the approaching Saibamen. He felt the revolting creatures were larger than life, having the power to destroy a child in one second.

Piccolo though noticed this and had to shout at him to keep his focus high and strong. "Gohan, stay focus! Don't hold back now!"

Master Roshi and his friends clearly saw this. They all instantly became worried especially Chi-Chi.

"Oh, my Gohan…why does he have to fight? Where's Goku?" Chi-Chi was biting on her lip.

"Calm down, Chi-Chi," Bulma assured her. "Everything's going to be all right."

Master Roshi's sunglasses shone. "And so the battle begins."

Few seconds later, each of the Saibamen leaped on their opponents they wanted to challenge.

"WRAGH!" the repulsive creatures shrieked once again.

Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin and Piccolo gave a loud, battle cry to sustain their courage within and unseal their hidden powers inside. "HYAH!"

And the battle was on!

One of the Saibamen assaulted towards Yamcha and fired an immediate Full Power Energy Wave. Yamcha flipped to avoid it and then he performed the famous Kamehameha wave.

"Kamehame-HA!" Yamcha yelled and launched a bright, beam energy.

The Saibaman noticed his attack, but dodged it just in time. It then went all-out on Yamcha, trying to hit him with his speedy claws and feet, but after Yamcha evaded one of its punches, he gave a knee strike on its stomach, stopping it from its tracks.

"All right!" Yamcha felt this was too easy.

At one corner, Tien lifted his right foot and strongly gave a forceful roundhouse kick to the Saibaman's face, almost knocking it out, but it would not go down that easily since it needed to impress Vegeta or else it will be its head.

The Saibaman dashed towards Tien and did one of its moves called "High Speed Rush." It released a combination of hasty moves. Tien had a hard time blocking all of them, and in the end, he was struck by its powerful head-butt. Tien though countered with a soaring elbow strike to its face, jerking its chin back.

Chiaotzu used his physic abilities to freeze the Saibaman the young child was facing. Chiaotzu took his chance to do a low and high sidekick, which sent the alien creature up high, and then Chiaotzu jumped and punched his opponent on the face, following up with a palm strike that sent the Saibaman down.

Tien was watching his best pal from time to time and he was very impressed. He may be only a kid, but he was quite a fighter. "All right, Chiaotzu!"

Chiaotzu cheered. "Yeah!"

At the other side, Piccolo grabbed the Saibaman's arm and threw it out of the battlefield. Piccolo then performed one of his moves called "Explosive Demon Wave." He placed his left hand on his right arm and fired a powerful energy shot with lightning surrounding his hands to reveal how strong it was. The Saibaman barely had time to escape his attack that it was struck down easily.

Piccolo gave a smirk. "Heh."

At the middle of the Z-warriors' battle zone, Krillin performed a hard-knuckled strike on the Saibaman, his two fists clasped together. Then, he elbow struck its face and did a clean turning sidekick. Krillin jumped in air and fired a Kamehameha wave.

"HA!" Krillin yelled, the energy beam making a huge hole on the ground. The Saibaman was hit and was already weakened.

Every one of the Z-fighters was doing very well. All of them were having the upper-hand of making this first battle their victory; this had Vegeta and Nappa wonder what was going on.

"Wow, that's weird. I felt their powers just increased without reason!" exclaimed Nappa.

"You see?" Vegeta said. "They're hiding some of their potential inside to fool us," he slightly put his head down and shadows were casted over his eyes, "but they can't fool us any longer."

Gohan though was having a hard time fighting the Saibaman on his own. He needed a little bit of push and encouragement.

"Wragh!" the Saibamen leaped towards Gohan and gave a claw strike. Gohan tried to get out of the way, but almost tripped over. The next thing he knew, he felt a painful kick was sent to his face that it brought him down.

Gohan cried in pain. "Augh!"

This was Gohan's first battle, a kind where he was fighting against enemies that were clearly aliens and not humans. Gohan was really trying to keep his valor intact, but he was not used to fighting like this yet.

Chi-Chi had set her eyes on Gohan the whole time. She felt she could faint. "Who does that repulsive creature thinks he is? He can't hurt my Gohan!" she frustratingly began to shake Baba's crystal ball.

"Hold on, don't break it now!" Baba warned her.

Ox-King was trying his best to calm his daughter down. "Chi-Chi, please!"

Bulma tried to calm her down, too. "Chi-Chi, you need to relax!"

Master Roshi scratched his head with his crutch. "Here she goes again."

The Saibaman waited for Gohan to get up. Gohan slowly stood up from his feet. He nervously stared at his enemy.

"Oh, this is harder than it looks," Gohan whispered. He glanced at Piccolo and his other friends who were fighting so bravely. They were handling each of their fights as if they were nothing to him. Gohan looked back at the Saibaman. He wondered why he cannot be like his father's friends whom fought with courage and for a worthy purpose. "Daddy, where are you? I need you," he started to doubt and wonder. He felt he could break into tears again.

After Piccolo brought down his enemy for a while, he looked at his pupil to see the progress he was making. Unfortunately, he only disappointed him. "I can't believe this. Gohan!" he called him. "You need to start fighting! I didn't train you so hard for nothing."

Gohan gulped hard. "I'll-I'll try."

"Don't try! Do it!" Piccolo ordered and resumed fighting with his opponent.

Vegeta and Nappa just noticed the teacher's lecture to his student. The one called Gohan had them curious of who he was truly inside.

"Is that kid a Saiyan?" Nappa asked the Saiyan Prince.

Vegeta folded his arms. "I'm not sure, but he kinda looks like Bardock. He may be a Saiyan, but his power level's too low. Even if he goes full power, I don't think he can even reach the same power as Raditz's," although, Vegeta thought he could be mistaken. There was something about Gohan who had a kind of power that none of the boy's friends or family possessed.

"There's only one way to find out, but it'll take a while," Vegeta suddenly smirked.

While the Z-warriors were battling the Saibamen, Bardock and Raditz were tempted to help especially Gohan as they could see him clearly struggling. Bardock felt quite disappointed, too, like Piccolo, because it appeared like Gohan was running away from his first fight.

_"Heck, and after all the things he said, but who can blame him? He's only a four, I mean, five-year old kid,"_ Bardock corrected himself.

Raditz clenched his fists. Him standing around would not do any good, he said in his mind. "I'm going to help them," he finally decided.

Except their plans abruptly changed sooner than they realized.

"Hey, stop right there," Nappa warned them.

Bardock and Raditz halted and turned around.

"You're fighting us now," Vegeta announced.

"What?" both of the good Saiyans gasped.

"…hmph! Maybe that's the reason why you had your Saibamen," Raditz assumed. "So you could distract our friends and hinder us from helping them!"

"Or maybe it would be fun to see each warrior individually fight someone without any one of you having the temptation to support another that'll lead to a two-against-one battle," Vegeta thought of another notion.

Bardock and Raditz cannot believe they were still treating this like a game.

"How about you take on Bardock, Vegeta?" suggested Nappa. "I'll take on the crybaby Raditz."

"What's the matter, Nappa? Is it because you're too afraid to fight Bardock?" Vegeta joked around.

"Well, no," defended Nappa, "but I'll use, uh, Raditz as a warm up. He might be a good challenge to me," Nappa said firmly, but deep inside, he was afraid of Bardock because of his high fighting power.

Raditz simply said nothing as he and Nappa went to a different location in the battlefield. Even if Raditz were to help his nephew and the rest of the Z-warriors, he would be stopped by Nappa, perhaps even Vegeta.

"Come on, Raditz. Make your move. I wanna see how strong you are," insisted Nappa. "I know you've been doing some training yourself. Let's see if you're really _that_ good."

Raditz clenched his fists. "Don't underestimate me, Nappa."

"I'll be the judge of that!" Nappa yelled.

Raditz took the initiative as he dashed towards his challenger. He launched barrages of punches and kicks. To his surprise though, Nappa was evading his moves like nothing. This sudden discovery made Raditz feel nervous about everything now.

_"Impossible!"_ Raditz cried in his mind.

After Raditz gave a palm strike with a force field in the end, Nappa teleported behind him and gave him a penetrating punch. Raditz persisted to hit him again, but Nappa dodged him and released a hard kick to his side. Raditz felt pain already stinging his body as he was blown away, but he immediately regained balance by stopping himself on the ground.

"Hmm, I guess I can admit that you improved," Nappa laughed, "but you're still a teensy bit away from my power still."

Raditz wiped the sweat from his mouth. "Darn you."

Bardock was tightening his fists. He was the strongest one amongst his family and friends. He wanted to support them, but he felt all of his current potency was being put to waste because he was being hindered from Vegeta who wanted to challenge him. Bardock was seeing visions once again, and most of what he had seen for the past weeks were ones he knew he needed to avoid happening. The problem was he had no idea when they will happen. He already had regrets of not being able to save his home planet and his people from Frieza in spite of he had seen the horrible apparitions of this tragic extermination, however, this was understandable because he did not have the right strength before to deny his home planet's cruel fate. Now, he had the power he needed to easily beat the six Saibamen and Nappa, but he could not even accomplish this because of the royal elite, Vegeta. Bardock was afraid to make the same mistakes. He was afraid if he was letting the future slip into harm's way again.

Vegeta stepped in. "Bardock, you're fighting me now."

"Look," Bardock growled at him. "I don't have time for these stupid games."

"Oh, so you're afraid to confront a royal Saiyan elite like me?" Vegeta questioned. "I can read your mind. I know that you really want to help your friends, but let me warn you. If you interfere with their own individual fight, I will have to step in and stop you. Either way, you'll fight me one way or another."

Bardock bit his lip. "I can't believe this… I need to change…the future…!"

"Future?" Vegeta raised a brow. "Hah, if that's ever going to happen. Let's just commence, shall we? Besides, isn't this the perfect opportunity for a low-class like you to fight a noble like me? You should feel privileged. I thought one of the Saiyan's codes was one will never back out from a fight, and if that one did, that one is considered cowardly and unworthy of the Saiyan race."

Yes, that was one particular Saiyan code Bardock still believed in, but did it matter to him at this time? Bardock intently stared at him and guessed he had no choice. "I don't like it when people push me to my very own anger, but if I have to fight you first just to stop you, then I'll do it."

"That's what I like to hear," Vegeta readied in his fighting stance.

Bardock stared at him for a few more seconds. Then, he fixed his red bandanna and thought about his comrades for a moment who were in the afterlife now, asking them for strength for this battle. He then positioned in his fighting stance also.

"I'll make this quick. Show me what you got," Bardock said, wanting a good match from the Saiyan elite.

Vegeta grinned evilly. "With pleasure."

Their brief epic stare-down was quite long and suspenseful, one could not tell when they will start as if time had stopped. Then, as fast as the speed of light, Vegeta quickly disappeared and reappeared in front of Bardock and opted to give him a grueling, knife-hand strike, but Bardock ducked and countered with an elbow strike. The Prince of all Saiyans was hit, but he teleported behind the lone survivor of the Saiyan race and delivered an uppercut, but Bardock teleported behind Vegeta this time and tried to give a hard-knuckled strike on the head, but Vegeta disappeared again and this time gave a devastating punch and a high uppercut, sending Bardock in mid-air.

Vegeta made an effort to create a siege on him, but instead, the two Saiyans locked their eyes at each other and were both engaged in a rigorous battle. Their kicks and punches collided with each other with strong, forceful shockwaves. Vegeta though was able to successfully strike Bardock on the cheek. The pain though was only little to him that he back-flipped and decided to counterattack with a Full Power Energy Wave!

"HYAH!" Bardock shouted as the sapphire-colored energy wave emerged from his palm.

Vegeta thought he was caught off-guard, but his reaction time was quick enough to deflect the blast away from him. Bardock was surprised and tried to sense his energy since he had vanished, but Vegeta, without warning, fired multiple homing blasts from above. Bardock quickly noticed them and evaded them all at once without a single scratch on his body.

Vegeta was beginning to get slightly ticked off. "It seems he's not reacting at all to my attacks. Well, he does have a power level of 19,000, but not to worry. All of that's going to change."

As for Raditz and Nappa, Raditz carried out a swift, double punch, but Nappa got a hold of his hands. Using his head that was as hard as an unbreakable stone, he gave a grueling head-butt on his chest. Raditz almost felt his skull had just cracked, but this was all in his imagination. He tried to regain conscious, but Nappa quickly sent a knee strike to his chin that blew him away.

Raditz almost felt paralyzed. He continued on though and countered with a powerful ki blast. Nappa deflected it easily and countered with a much stronger ki blast. "KYAH!" Nappa shouted.

"What?" Raditz got a hold of the blast and tried to deflect it away, but Nappa was already right behind him and did a straight blow to his back. Raditz felt heavy pain and let the blast him, and he was put into more damage. As soon the smoke faded away, Raditz noticed Nappa floating a few distances away from him.

Nappa scoffed at his abilities. Surely, this was not the full extent of his skills, he thought, but if they were, this will be easy triumph for him. "What's the matter, Raditz? I thought you would do better than this."

"Da-Darn," Raditz snarled. He slowly lifted up his left hand and purple, stimulating light started to develop around his arm.

Nappa wondered what he was going to do.

Raditz chuckled slightly. "Heh, heh, see if you can dodge this."

Raditz released a Saturday Crush move and released it as quick as lightning. Nappa stood there and froze. As the technique was getting close to him though, Nappa went back to reality and crossed his arms to overcome the blast, but Raditz did another move that Nappa did not expect for him to do.

"How about try taking on another one? RARGH!" Raditz released another Saturday Crush from his right arm this time.

"What?" Nappa yelled.

Nappa struggled greatly, but he was unsuccessful that the two Saturday Crushes inflicted severe damage to him.

"Hah!" Raditz laughed. "Remember, Nappa. I've been with you for a long time now and I know some weaknesses in you."

Vegeta noticed what happened to Nappa and growled angrily. _"Gosh! He better use that head of his. He has never been a strategic thinker when it comes to fights."_

"Turn around!" Bardock suddenly shouted.

"What?" exclaimed Vegeta.

The two Saiyans of the highest power levels were currently battling on ground, and Bardock thought this was the perfect opportunity to perform a special move he had never really done in ages or only in rare occasions. Bardock's right hand started to burn wildly of bright, red and orange flames.

Vegeta was shocked because he had never seen this move before in his entire life. "What the heck?"

"I'll give everything I got!" Bardock shouted and just briefly increased his power. His right hand then gave a mighty uppercut with flames coming out from it; in addition, a thorn-shaped fire came out from the ground as well to inflict more severe damage. It one-hundred percent hit Vegeta on the chin and he was blown back instantly.

"Heh," Bardock grinned. His "Heat Phalanx" move had always been one of his favorites because it did not matter who his enemy was, he or she will never see it coming.

Vegeta already felt some bruises on his body, but no blood yet. His little annoyance was gradually converting into fury. He may have underestimated Bardock after all, but Vegeta had another plan up in his sleeves that will surely turn the tables around.

"Not bad," Vegeta praised him. "I never thought a low-class would be this strong. In fact, I feel you're the only low-class who can stand up to me."

Bardock snorted lightly. "Heh, I haven't gotten serious yet."

"Oh really? Same here. You see, I'm just toying around with you," Vegeta admitted.

Bardock's eyes widened. "What?"

Vegeta chuckled. "Heh, I just wanna test how strong you are."

Bardock gripped his teeth after knowing he was not even using his full potential yet.

"Before we begin, I want to tell you something. Did you know that your current power level had actually exceeded mine's? But here's the catch. I've learned a useful technique along the way before our arrival here on Earth."

Bardock gave a serious look as he tried to catch what he meant.

"A technique that six of your companions who are fighting the Saibamen now must know how to do it already; you see, I've been saving up some of my hidden power and I can raise it at will!"

This came as a shocker to Bardock because unfortunately for him, he had no idea how to suppress his power yet; or perhaps only a tiny bit, but that was not enough. "What? No way!"

"That's right! I'm at 18,000, but after this power-up, you'll be nothing to me! RARGH!" Vegeta's blue aura suddenly flared up and his power instantly went up the roof. His heating eyes were filled with nothing but the pride that told he was better than anybody else. Soon, his aura calmed down, but it still surrounded him like a protector.

"At this rate, I'm now at 20,000," Vegeta said.

Bardock felt himself backed off not from fear, but from too much frustration. "This is not good. Not good at all."

"So, shall we start again?" Vegeta asked.

Bardock gave a serious look. There was no backing down now. He needed to come up with a better strategy to surpass him somehow. "As you wish."

Vegeta and Bardock stared at each other one more time. Once again, they fought at a very fast pace although Bardock instantly saw a change in his opponent's fighting status. His speed and power just increased tremendously, which came as a bad sign to him.

At the other side, Raditz was laughing at Nappa's stupidity from getting himself hit by two Saturday Crushes. "Hah, hah! What now, Nappa?"

"You fool," Nappa barked, but soon a grin appeared and told his former comrade something, "but not bad at all I supposed. Too bad though for you 'cause I'm just getting warmed up here."

Raditz gasped in sudden fright. "Huh?"

"Yeah, that's it. I'm not even close to using my full power," Nappa told him. "Now!"

Nappa disappeared and so did Raditz. Both were engaged in a serious one-on-one match once again, but just like Bardock, Raditz began to worry again.

At Snake Way, Goku continued to dart through the road, trying to get back to Earth as soon as possible.

"_Man, whatever's happening there, hold on. I'm coming. Please be okay,"_ Goku hoped and wished.

The Z-fighters, Bardock and Raditz were trying their best to hold on a little longer until Goku arrives. The fight with the six Saibamen was becoming to be easy matches for Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Piccolo, but Gohan continued to struggle to do his best and to fight without hesitations and doubts. Meanwhile, Nappa and Vegeta had just been playing around with Raditz and Bardock all along. The two Saiyan elites were about to get serious.

For Bardock, he was really trying to change the future and he will stop at nothing to make sure that will happen.


	28. Resisting the Unstoppable Peril

Episode 28

Resisting the Unstoppable Peril

"All right, enough of these silly, old tricks. It's time to end this!" Yamcha declared after bringing down his opponent. He quickly did another version of his Wolf Fang Fist. Yamcha went to the stance of a wolf and then barraged the Saibaman with many claw strikes made from his bare hands. The slicing bombardment hurt it so badly, it made its power quickly wavered. In the end, Yamcha brought his hands together as if he was about to do a Kamehameha and then he struck the Saibaman on its gut with a force field.

"Wragh!" the Saibaman lied on the ground for a while, twitching its arms from too much agonizing pain.

Yamcha wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Come on, is that all? I'm just getting warmed up here!"

After Nappa briefly hindered Raditz from attacking him, he noticed that one of the Saibamen was defeated, thanks to Yamcha. He growled at this and spat at him. "Fool! What kind of power do you hold?"

Yamcha turned to him. "Hah! It's a power that you should've never underestimated, muscle man."

As Vegeta and Bardock were engaged in an intensive, speedy one-on-one match, Vegeta called out to Nappa and told him, "Well, well, Nappa, guess you accidentally brought the weakest alien brigade ever."

"No, I did not," argued Nappa. "They were the strongest Saibamen ever yet. They're almost as strong as, uh, Raditz, when he first came to Earth," he then felt embarrassed for saying that.

"No matter. Just continue on with the fight. Let's see if the other remaining Saibamen will survive," Vegeta said.

"Quit talking!" Bardock demanded, going in for a sliding kick, but Vegeta jumped and knife-hand struck him to the neck. Bardock fell and felt his neck was paralyzed, but it did little to deter his body from moving.

Vegeta scoffed. "Heh! I thought I would get more fun than this. Come on, you low-class scum. Can't you take the heat?"

"Darn it," Bardock was getting angrier by the second. Another vision then passed through his head that preoccupied him for a while. He saw someone, clearly one of their allies, being caught in an explosion due to carelessness and not paying any attention to his surroundings. Bardock quickly looked up and focused his eyes on Yamcha.

"Yamcha…," he quietly said.

"Stop whispering to yourself!" Vegeta was also getting mad because his opponent was not responding to him. As a result, he placed his foot on Bardock's head and attempted to crush his skull. "Give it up now, Bardock. You're no match for me. Why not you just bow down to me, apologize, and perhaps join me instead? Together, we'll conquer planets and relive the Saiyan's name!"

Bardock felt the wrenching pain invading his head. His hands gripped tighter on the grass. Why would he dare to join the Saiyan Prince? Bardock was not the same killer Saiyan like he was before. He was very content of his current life now. Instead, he said to him, "Not in your…LIFE!" suddenly, Bardock broke free from Vegeta's foot that tried to fracture his head and then he gave him a raging punch to his face, attempting to crush _his_ skull instead.

"Augh!" Vegeta was blown back and almost lost his balance.

Bardock regained his breath, but then he realized that there was something on Vegeta's face that was not actually there in the first place. "…huh?"

"Ugh! WORMS! GET IT OFF!" Vegeta almost screamed, having no idea how the worms were able to get on his face. He shook his head vigorously, trying to get rid of the critters that were slithering and sliding all over his face.

"How did that-" Bardock stared at his right hand and realized that due to too much anger in him, his fingers had dug deep into the soil too much, accidentally catching some worms. "Huh? Man," he scratched his head. "I should try to relax more."

"Rargh!" Vegeta snatched the worms from his face instead, threw them in air, and fired them with an energy blast. He gulped hard, trying to recover from his shock. When he turned around to look at Bardock who was staring back at him in a perplexed way, he yelled at him. "What are you looking at? How dare you mock the Prince of all Saiyans!"

The Saiyan Prince then noticed that everyone was staring at him, too, including his very own Saibamen. Their scrutiny only made him angrier. "What are _you_ all staring at? Get on with the fight already or else I'll have to kill you all instead!"

The Z-fighters could not help but chuckle amongst themselves. They went on then to resume their fights with the Saibamen.

Nappa and Raditz had also seen what happened. Raditz had a huge sweat drop on his forehead while Nappa lightly scratched his mustache. Both of them knew something about Vegeta that nobody else knew.

"I forgot. Vegeta actually has a phobia for anything that's squirmy. He has that fear ever since he was a kid. He never seems to get used to it," Nappa said.

Raditz had to agree with him. "You got that right."

Out of the blue though, he snapped at him. "Wait, why the heck am I socializing with you? I'm supposed to kill you! That's my duty!"

"You're the one who started talking to me," Raditz gave a look.

Their fight also resumed.

Vegeta was clenching his fists really hard. As a part of Saiyan royalty, he should not have acted like that, but considering it was his main phobia in life, it was an embarrassing situation for him. His face was turning all red just thinking about it. He shook that memory off of him getting attacked by worms and turned his focus to Bardock. "As for you, low-class scum."

Bardock twitched his eyebrow.

"Heh, heh. Yeah, a funny trick to fool me, but that only makes me angrier. Prepare yourself. HYAH!" Vegeta assaulted towards him and delivered a devastating uppercut on his chin in conjunction with an uppercut to his abdomen

"That's what you get for messing with me," Vegeta growled.

Bardock held his stomach for a while, trying to soothe the pain. "Augh…he's kinda right. I should've not tested his temper. Heh, heh," but he just found Vegeta freaking out about the worms quite hilarious. He never imagined him, as he proclaimed himself to be the strongest amongst the Saiyan race, having fear over something that was quite petite and scrawny.

He regained his stance and immediately countered with a Full Power Energy Wave, but Vegeta teleported somewhere else before it even hit him. Bardock took seconds to notice that his opponent was right in front of him and this brief pause had his face be struck by Vegeta's hard elbow, which forced Bardock to spurt out some bits of blood.

"Augh!" Bardock cried in pain. He struggled to get up and while he strove to do so, he looked at Yamcha again, remembering that vision that briefly passed in his head.

Raditz persisted to strike Nappa with all his might, but Nappa grabbed both of his arms and used his head to hit his chin, making his head jerk back.

"Come on, you can do better than that," Nappa said so he could torture him more.

There was blood coming out from Raditz's lips, which he wiped it. Forsooth, his hands were shaking from too much pain and apprehension. He felt the weight of pressure pressing him down. _"But I can't give up now," _he tried to give himself encouragement despite of his struggle.

For Gohan, he was slowly getting used to fighting alone, but fear was still trying to hold him back. He gave out a hesitant punch, which the Saibaman easily evaded. Its head then began to open up with smoke coming out from it.

"Wha-what?" Gohan trembled, having no idea what it was going to do.

"Gohan!" Piccolo had foreseen what the creature was about to do. He grabbed Gohan and it was when the Saibaman released its simple, yet lethal attack called "Acid." The toxic liquid missed Gohan, and apparently Piccolo, but made a deep gap on the ground.

Gohan thanked his mentor for saving him, but Piccolo only dropped him on the ground and lectured him once again. "Where's your focus, Gohan? You're beginning to disappoint me. After all the things you said about fighting alongside with us, protecting the Earth and making your father proud? Where did all of that confidence go, huh?"

The young boy's lips were silenced. Gohan _did_ remember saying all of those words that made him such a matured warrior. He wondered what was going on with him that restricted him from fighting like a true fighter. "…I'm-I'm sorry," was all he could say.

"Don't apologize. I just need you to give it all you got!" Piccolo said and went back with his fight with the other Saibaman.

"HYAH!" Tien jumped in mid-air and gave the Saibaman a hard-knuckled punch on its chest, causing it to knock out easily.

Chiaotzu cheered for his best buddy. "All right, way to go, Tien. You're the best."

Nappa briefly saw this and was even more frustrated. "No way. Another one down? What kind of fighters are we dealing with?"

"Fighters that are prepared to bring fools like you to defeat!" Raditz turned his attention back to him. He opted to give an axe kick that sent Nappa down. Then, he teleported below him before the ruthless Saiyan could touch the soil and did a great high sidekick, sending him high up.

"Don't get off-guarded," Raditz grinned.

"You imbecile jerk," Nappa spat.

After Yamcha saw the great progress that his friends and he were making, he proposed something to them. "This is too easy. How about I'll take on the rest of the Saibamen?"

"Wragh?" the four remaining Saibamen heard what he declared. It sounded like a challenge. They stared at him intently.

Yamcha smirked. "Bring it on. I could take you all down."

Krillin though refused. He thought he was getting too overconfident, which was always a weakness in him. "Hold on there, Yamcha. Don't be hasty now! You shouldn't do this alone."

"Leave it to me, Krillin," Yamcha insisted. "Besides, you've been already wished back to life with the DragonBalls once. So whatever happens to me, you can always bring me back," he smiled. He may be an audacious person, yet was also very noble and generous to his friends and loved ones.

"But Yamcha," Krillin worriedly said, trying to change his mind set.

Yamcha cracked his fingers and provoked the Saibamen to get all their attention towards him. "I can pound on all your faces at once!"

All four Saibamen's acceptance to his challenge was to assault towards Yamcha, but before they touched him, Yamcha quickly released a force field that blew them away and they all fell into one place.

"Need to end this quick!" Yamcha was resolute. He leaped in air and launched a luminous Kamehameha wave, which effectively hit the four Saibamen and overwhelmed them.

"All right, who's the man?" Yamcha grinned.

Piccolo, though saw Yamcha as nothing but a boastful risk-taker, was actually impressed by his performance.

Gohan cheered for him. "All right, Yamcha."

Krillin was relieved for a moment. "Hey, he's doing pretty well."

Chiaotzu applauded for him also. "Hooray for Yamcha!"

"That dude," Tien snorted and grinned.

The remaining Saibamen were now frightened about how Yamcha could easily hammer them all without having to try.

Puar saw this through Baba's crystal ball. The furry companion and friend of Yamcha cheered for him and so did the rest. "Yay, Yamcha! Way to go!"

Bulma had her hands together close to her chest. She was smiling even more. "Yamcha…"

Above the clear skies, Bardock and Vegeta's battle continued there. When Vegeta's driving punch pushed Bardock back, his eyes turned small when he saw a glimpse of the future once again.

"Wha-what the?" Bardock's head ache a bit.

Once again, he saw that same vision in which it always had partial of his focus turned to Yamcha. An ominous peril was waiting for him at the end of his tunnel, and Bardock needed to warn him quickly before his life will fall into death's hands.

While Yamcha remained bragging about his abilities, Bardock quickly stood up from the ground and dashed closer to him; the one whose life was in grave danger.

Vegeta noticed Bardock running away, thinking he was retreating from their battle. "Where are you going? I'm done with you yet!" he then used super dash to follow him.

Bardock ignored the Saiyan elite and proceeded to say what he needed to say. "Hey, Yamcha! Get out of there!"

Yamcha turned around, puzzled. "What? Bardock, what are you talking about?"

"The Saibaman behind you will self-destruct! Get out!"

Almost an involuntary reaction, Yamcha, without delay, turned around and the second he set his eyes on the revolting Saibaman, it was making its way towards him almost fast speed. On its mean face, its tongue was sticking out and its pupils were going off in two different directions, all thanks to Yamcha's Kamehameha that made this particular Saibaman defective, but like all enemies were, when one was desperate to win, he or she would either retreat until a new scheme was planned out or sacrifice himself or herself.

"You…!" Yamcha bit his lip.

When the Saibaman was only an inch away from deciding Yamcha's fate, Yamcha was able to sprint away from it just in time and in addition, presented it with a quick and fierce roundhouse kick to its gut. The Saibaman instead fell on the grasses, its mind trying to comprehend how it missed him.

"Okay, is this how you wanna play it?" Yamcha said, but did not realize that he was quivering. His heart was pounding, he could almost hear the sound of his heartbeat ringing loudly in his ears. He trembled with so much fright, knowing he was almost killed by a Saibaman's most powerful move: its perilous detonation. He was granted luck though and was able to resist and escape from his cruel fate.

"Hey, guys!" Yamcha suddenly called Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin, Piccolo, and Gohan. "Let's finish the rest of the Saibamen and show them not to mess with us!"

"Yeah!" they all agreed with him.

"Let me help you out a bit, Yamcha," Krillin stepped in and grinned. He drew his arms back as he gathered an immense amount of energy. Instead of concentrating his attack into a single point, he created multiples of energy shots. They scattered to different places, but made their way towards the four escaping Saibamen, and including the other two defeated Saibamen, intending to weaken them more. This move was called "Scattering Bullet."

"WRAGH!" all of the Saibamen were hit at once. Now, they could barely move. They were all feeling dizzy and out of focus.

"Hyah!" Tien took the initiative and struck one of the Saibaman on its face, blowing it away high up in the skies. Chiaotzu then finished the job by blasting it with a Dodon Ray. The thin laser blast consumed the Saibaman whole until it faded into dusts.

"Good job, Chiaotzu!" Tien gave a thumps-up.

"Thanks, Tien!" Chiaotzu gave back a thumps-up.

Yamcha and Krillin floated high up in the eternal firmaments with the sun's rays shining above them as if they were warriors of light sent forth to defeat an army of darkness. The two best friends smiled at each other and then released Kamehameha waves at two Saibamen, disintegrating them until they, too, faded into nothingness.

"All right. Awesome!" Yamcha and Krillin cheered and then did fist-bumps to each other.

Piccolo then noticed that the last remaining Saibaman was about to sneak up on Gohan and try to attack him on its own.

Chi-Chi saw this and she nearly screamed. Unfortunately, she was not there to save her son. All she could do was to shout at the crystal ball. "Oh my gosh, Gohan, look out!"

"Wragh!" the Saibaman gave the Gohan a fright, scaring him out of his wits.

"Aah!" the young warrior turned around and backed away, afraid it might self-destruct on him if it wished to do so, but then Gohan did something nobody expected for him to do.

"No! I have to do this for my family and friends!" Gohan shook his head, now turning back into the warrior that possessed only strength and valor. Closing his eyes so he would not have to see the disgusting look on the Saibaman's face, Gohan powered up a bit and then did a soaring uppercut to his opponent's chin.

"Wragh!" the Saibaman was hurt, but not that much since it felt not too much power from Gohan's fist. However, the force was enough to send it away and land beside Piccolo. Piccolo decided to beat the last Saibaman instead of Gohan because he and his allies needed to end their Saibamen battle quick since there were two bigger problems that must to be taken care of.

"I'll beat you to death!" Piccolo did his move "Bakuretsu Mahoko" where he grabbed the Saibaman's arm, threw a shocking punch at its stomach to immobilize it. Then, he threw it away without mercy, opened his mouth, and fired a bright beam of burning energy that turned the Saibaman into nothing but fragile bones.

"Hmph," Piccolo crossed his arms afterwards.

Gohan thought he did something wrong because Piccolo had finished off the Saibaman instead of him. He approached his master to see what was wrong.

"Good," Piccolo suddenly said to his student. "You landed an attack without feeling hesitant about it. You need to keep that up, however, because our next battle will not demand for reluctance."

The young, blossomed warrior nervously smiled. "Y-yes, Mr. Piccolo."

"WHOO!" the Z-warriors' friends at Kame House all cheered.

"Yeah! Those disgusting, rotten vegetables are finally down," Oolong referred to the Saibamen.

Master Roshi felt some relief in him. "Hmm, I should've never doubted them. They're very strong indeed."

"Master, you should never doubt your students," Turtle smiled at him.

"You're absolutely right," Roshi agreed.

Chi-Chi sighed heavily. "Aah, my Gohan is safe. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to thank the green alien for rescuing my son, but are my eyes playing tricks on me? Didn't I just saw Gohan fought?"

"He sure did, honey," Ox-King smiled.

She was biting anxiously on her lip again. She just cannot believe that her five-year old son was fighting out there. She felt she would never get used to this.

Bardock, even though he did not witness the Z-warriors' victory over the Saibamen, but after he and Vegeta stopped, including Raditz and Nappa, because they were quite surprised that the alien brigade was defeated, Bardock smiled to himself.

"Yes. Yamcha's saved...," he said in a relieved, hushed voice. He was glad that he was able to prevent that particular vision.

Vegeta had to look at his adversary. He wondered how Bardock was able to know what the Saibaman was about to do towards Yamcha without the knowledge what action it was going to take. Because of Bardock's warning though, his companions were safe and sound and had triumphed over their first battle.

"Well," Bardock turned his attention to the Saiyan Prince. "Looks like your alien brigade's finished. I knew that they'll be able to overcome them soon enough."

Vegeta found his fists clenching. Anger was seething through his teeth. He never thought mere Earthlings like them carried a lot of power and not just any ordinary power. They possessed strength of teamwork, hope, belief, and faith.

_"These Earthlings are a lot stronger than I thought,"_ Vegeta thought in his head. _"Hmph, no matter. They may have defeated the Saibamen, but their next challenger will lead them to their own downfalls."_

Vegeta took a glance at his companion, Nappa, indicating he was the Z-fighters' next test of might and survival.

Nappa snarled angrily at what happened to the Saibamen. He was in deep fury that he vented all of this uncontrollable rage by striking Raditz on the cheek as hard as he can, sending him down to the ground.

Raditz staggered as he endured the immobilizing pain. For some reason, he could not get up, but he realized that Nappa was walking away from him. "Wh-what?"

Nappa approached the Z-warriors with an unsociable face.

Raditz clenched his fists. "You..."

"So you all managed to defeat the Saibamen after all," Nappa felt he could congratulate them. "I should give you extra credit for that, but this is just the beginning, you weaklings. You have to deal with me and Vegeta."

Nappa pointed at the Saiyan Prince who was still fighting Bardock in a battle between pure power and speed.

"You better be ready," Nappa told them, "'cause your deaths are near."

The Z-warriors shook with fear. Another grand problem was ahead of them. Their next battle will be ten times harder.

Raditz clenched his fists and stared at the skies. He was wondering where his little brother was.

In the afterlife, on Snake Way, Goku continued to fly at high speed. "_Hold on, guys. Just hold on. I'm coming. Please, don't give up yet,"_ he encouraged everybody to fight no matter what stood in their grounds.


	29. Dangerous Power

Episode 29

Dangerous Power

"So who shall face me first? Any volunteers?" asked Nappa with a sly smile.

The Z-warriors took a long stare at the brute, ominous Saiyan standing in front of them, showing off his muscular strength. Seeing how Raditz was already struggling in overcoming Nappa, and considering this young Saiyan was stronger than any of the Z-fighters, imagine if they soon faced this atrocious warrior.

Yamcha finally spoke, cutting the stressing silence. "If only Goku was here, he'll know what to do, but for now, I guess we'll have to handle this problem ourselves for a short while."

"This time," Tien began, "we need to work together. I guess teamwork is the only strategy that'll increase our chances of winning."

"Yes," Piccolo agreed. "Don't let your guard down."

Krillin only gulped hard.

Nappa gave them one more chance of who will volunteer to fight him first or else he will have to choose on his own.

Raditz finally stood up on his two feet. He took a glimpse at his father for a moment. Vegeta had temporarily brought him down, resulting to Bardock groaning in pain, his body fidgeting from the aftereffects of the Saiyan Prince's overwhelming power.

"I can't believe it! I-I'm still not strong enough. What's wrong with me?" Bardock was at disbelief. All the intense training he did, was it all for nothing?

Vegeta then captured Nappa's attention and told him something of significance. "Make sure you don't kill the Namekian yet. We still need to persuade him where the seven DragonBalls are. I know I already said we could locate them with our scouters, but let's just see if he'll ever say anything to save us some time."

"Gotcha, Vegeta," Nappa obeyed him. "So I can't kill the Namekian yet, but I can kill the rest of them."

The Z-warriors stood in fretfulness. They were about to face their next predicament, but they were unsure if they could handle it.

Nappa thought he had given his new set of opponents enough time to come to a decision. Since no one gave him an answer, he would just have to choose for himself. "Let's see how good you all are. I hate to be disappointed!" he readied in his stance. His powerfully built body structure and destructive power that he brandished frightened the Z-fighters more, especially Gohan.

"He's-he's too scary!" exclaimed Gohan fretfully.

"Aww, don't worry, kid," Nappa said sarcastically. "Perhaps I'll fight you last after I kill your friends."

Gohan was so scared that he was trembling so much.

Piccolo turned to his student. "Don't let him intimidate you. Remember your mission, Gohan."

"All right, here I come!" Nappa was about to make his first move until Raditz abruptly interrupted him. "Hey!" he shouted.

"What?" Nappa turned around. He watched as he stood from the ground and as he did so, he chose to infuriate him again beyond measure. "Hey, Raditz, isn't it rude to interrupt me like that? I was about to have fun with your other friends first. Now stay still, you weakling."

Raditz was insulted, but he remembered what his father said about needing to restrain his anger. "Look, leave my friends and nephew alone."

"Nephew?" Nappa turned around and looked at Gohan again. He assumed he was Raditz's nephew since they shared some similar resemblance especially the hair.

"I'm not done with you yet, Nappa," Raditz bit his lip and his hands were curled into fists. "I still have some fight left in me. I will not be scorned at simply because you think I'm lowly."

Nappa only gave a raucous laugh. "I've never heard you talk like that, Raditz. I guess the softness of this planet has really gotten into your head."

Raditz's temper was slowly heating up like a volcano about to explode and spew its lava out.

Krillin observed his furious expression written all over his face. "I could feel his anger rising. Because of that, his power level's also rising!"

"I know, Krillin," Yamcha sensed his energy level. "Sometimes, I could never understand these Saiyans."

After Nappa ridiculed Raditz one more time, he suddenly snapped. He could not handle the intense anger that uncontrollably wanted to detonate within him anymore; the anger that wanted to prove he was a renewed Saiyan just like his father told him. He exploded and bellowed. "SHU-SHUT UP!"

Raditz suddenly disappeared out of sight. Nappa was shocked and tried to look for him, but all of a sudden, Raditz appeared without rhyme or reason, gave his best battle yell, and then brought an unbelievable roundhouse kick to his neck.

"AUGH!" Nappa groaned in pain. Sweat plopped on the ground. His pupils grew wide to realize how painful that assault was for a second. Soon, it quickly frustrated him. Did his power just increased, perhaps also exceeded his?

Vegeta was alarmed after seeing this. If he had his scouter now, it was possible that Raditz's power level may have gone up once more, but this was only momentary though. A tad bit of power-up will make no difference.

"Turn around!" Bardock caught his enemy's attention to resume battle with him.

When Vegeta turned quickly, a flawless elbow strike hit his face and he was pushed back a few inches. The Saiyan Prince briefly grasped the thought that Bardock's power had somehow gone up, too, or maybe he was only too sidetracked.

Raditz was about to perform a flying kick, but Nappa foresaw his intention and countered with a powerful blast from his hands while smirking maliciously. Raditz was hit and he was carried away with the wind. He recuperated his steadiness though and tried to overcome the pain.

Nappa touched his neck and felt a large bruise. "Not bad, Raditz; that hurt a little, but did you remember what I said? I'm not at my full power yet."

Raditz growled, knowing he was nowhere close still in defeating him.

At Kame House, Bulma said, "Sir Bardock and Raditz are really giving all they can. I really hope they'll be able to take care of this, at least until Goku arrives."

"Hmm," Master Roshi put his crutch beneath his chin. "I sense that there's going to be a lot of trouble in this next fight," he referred to the Z-fighters' next challenger, Nappa.

Puar gulped hard. "Oh no, what will happen?"

"I don't even wanna think about it," Oolong was feeling anxious.

Chi-Chi was holding her hands, still biting her lip; her expression all troubled and worried. "Oh, my baby Gohan. Bardock and Raditz better make sure they protect my son. Rrrgh, where's Goku?"

The Z-fighters were a bit fearful. They could already predict that their next foe will be challenging to face up to.

"I couldn't believe it," Krillin trembled. "Even though Raditz's already at full power, it's still no use. What are we getting ourselves into? This is too much!"

As for Vegeta, his conflict with Bardock was slowly becoming wearisome, yet slightly dicey because it seemed like his energy level was increasing every time, sometimes without Vegeta's knowledge, after taking pauses and resuming battles. Nonetheless, this incident made perfect sense because Saiyans always grew stronger in every fight and visibly, Bardock was one of those full-blooded Saiyans who never refused a good challenge or who never ran away from a fight.

However, the pain that was given to Vegeta straight at his face exasperated him so and for that reason, he projected that fury by releasing a fiery, homing energy ball. Bardock bit his lip as he attempted to flee from it or lead the blast someplace else where it can explode at an unmoving object. Instead, he stopped and turned his entire body to evade the energy ball, but one way or another, he miscalculated a small inch that the blazing blast barely, but was able to, touched his right cheek. Vegeta's energy attack finally faded as it soared more into the skies. Then, a stream of blood ran down on Bardock's right cheek.

"Darn it. He's really good," Bardock grunted.

Gohan noticed that his courageous grandfather was in trouble. "Grandpa Bardock…"

But Nappa blocked the young warrior's path. "You're not going anywhere, kid. Sooner or later, you're gonna get killed along with the rest of them here. Now!"

Nappa clenched his fists and powered up. Electrifying lights surrounded him. Everybody was surprised and could almost feel his potential rising up to its very limits. Raditz, at the other hand, was trembling. He could not say a word.

Suddenly, Yamcha gave his companions the signal. "GO!"

"Huh?" both Nappa and Raditz said.

Yamcha including Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and Piccolo charged towards Nappa. Each were about to give him with an attack of his own, but as soon the attacks were released with vigor and force, Nappa dodged their moves like they were nothing. He then took wing under the shining sun.

"We gotta keep him cornered!" Yamcha told his fellow teammates.

All five of them followed Nappa. Before Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and Piccolo even touched him, the ruthless Nappa quickly released a vibrating shockwave that pushed them back. As they were blown away, Nappa gave them each a pulverizing attack to their weak spots and all five crashed on the ground at full force.

"Bwah, hah, hah!" Nappa laughed gratingly. "Come on, is that all? I was hoping I'd get more fun than this."

Tien checked on his friend, Chiaotzu, if he was all right.

"I'm fine, Tien," Chiaotzu struggled to speak.

"I think you should just stay back. Let Yamcha, Piccolo, Krillin, and I handle this one," Tien suggested.

"No," Chiaotzu refused to stay in the sidelines. "Just like I said, I'm sticking with you, Tien, no matter what happens."

"Chiaotzu…," he softly said his name with great concern.

Piccolo held his aching neck. "He's way too strong!" the Namekian then suddenly looked at Bardock whose energy was quickly draining due to Vegeta's severe, painful attacks. If only Vegeta was not here in the first place, Bardock would had taken care of Nappa no sweat and the Earth would had been saved already, yet would it be unfair for the Z-fighters to just stand and not do anything after all the rigorous training they did to prove that Earth's Special Forces was never to be underestimated. This certain battle was a test of might and honor, but at the same time, a grave, cold fate was awaiting Earth and perhaps the only one who could possibly save Earth and its inhabitants right now was Bardock…but definitely Goku, if he makes it in time.

No matter what Piccolo's thoughts and hopes were, this was the now and that now was, he and his allies will need to face Nappa, their deadliest challenge ever yet, and Bardock will need to find a way to turn the tables on Vegeta and be able to defeat the Prince of all Saiyans who stood the most dominating and powerful than any of them; their final test that if the Z-warriors did not succeed, everything will be destroyed.

At Kame House, everyone was instantly getting worried.

"What the heck was that?" Oolong questioned Nappa's indescribable power. "He's not even fazed!"

"He's like invincible!" Turtle cried.

Puar put his hands over his face. "Oh no!"

Master Roshi felt sweat coming from his head. "This is not good at all. Not even Raditz can stop him, and Bardock's too busy dealing with the other Saiyan who also appears a lot stronger than him."

Bulma heaved a heavy, troubled sigh.

Back at the battlefield, Nappa was ready to resume the battle again. "Okay then," he moved his head from side to side. "It's time for me to choose which fighter will die first. Hmm…how about you?" he fixated his eyes on Yamcha.

"What the?" Yamcha exclaimed.

He flew to him at maximum speed; his gloating figure grew larger every second that it froze Yamcha with fear. He was about to brawl at him until he did not realize he had forgotten about one warrior who will not stop at anything until he was beaten.

"Get away from them! RARGH!" Raditz came to the rescue after recovering from his brief injuries. Without any mercy from his heart, he strikingly punched Nappa to his cheek bones. It was a direct hit and Nappa was sent to the ground with dust floating everywhere. Raditz did not halt there, however. He went ahead and gave a bone-crushing knee strike to his abdomen; similar to what he did to Goku when he was pure evil before.

Then, Raditz went all-out in power by mercilessly punching Nappa on his gut many times. Every blow he gave, his anger built more and more especially when quickly recalling memories from his past, when he was a teenager, after he heard news about the complete obliteration of the Saiyans' home planet. Ever since Raditz started working directly for Frieza, Nappa and Vegeta, they sometimes treated him like he was nothing more than a speck of dust in the air; unnoticed and unrecognized because he was only seen as a Saiyan whose power level was the weakest of all, who was thought he should had been sent to another planet instead filled with weaklings and be in good terms with them instead of being alongside with two companions who came from royalty with fighting powers way above the scale that even some of Frieza's men feared the two. Raditz was occasionally the center of the gossip about how pathetic he was that he could not or barely handle a Saiyan elite's dangerous missions to other planets filled with inhabitants possessing remarkable fighting powers, yet Raditz, for many years, tolerated all of that nonsense and continued to serve Frieza with great allegiance, obeying his every command as he underwent missions with Vegeta and Nappa. It did no matter if these missions were as easy as squishing a petite fly buzzing in the kitchen or as hard as, as if your life was at stake and all the pressure was on you to save the world or else everything would shatter if one mistake was committed or surrender was bowed down to, Raditz undertook assignments that no low-class could had done or had never escaped from them alive.

The only two good parts that were taken out from this intolerable treatment and hazardous missions were that every harsh criticism was given to him, he was always motivated to make himself stronger, to become a new Saiyan no one should undervalue, and whenever he fought in battles, his passion for fighting always grew, which kept him quite satisfied with his gradual, growing power especially in times of solitude.

But now, after the lies that Frieza said about the Saiyans' home planet destruction that it was actually him, that mindless and greedy overlord who destroyed their abode holding great reputation, which the Saiyans held dear to them because their planet was fully-respected by many other alien races out there, after all the things Raditz had done for Nappa and Vegeta just to prove he was a worthy companion, he felt he was deeply betrayed for no rhyme or reason. It was the work of evil of Frieza that had influenced his heart to remain a killer Saiyan to a point when he killed even his own younger brother. It was when he served Nappa and Vegeta many years that now forced the Z-warriors to do deadly battle with them the moment he decided to become good at heart. Raditz felt this was his entire fault. All this feeling of madness and guilt, it was driving him insane.

After the mere distraction from his thoughts, he did not realize that his punches were quickly turning out to be ineffective on Nappa. He found him smirking. Finally, Nappa grabbed one of his arms, forcing Raditz to immediately stop.

"You know, Raditz, one thing bad about you is that you _truly_ disappoint me! HYAH!" Nappa returned the favor and gave him a painful and wrenching punch on Raditz's gut. It felt like all of the thousand punches that Raditz befell upon Nappa were given back to him with one, single punch that held a thousand times more pain.

Gohan felt his stomach twist. That was his uncle being injured there, yet the young boy still had not done anything to contribute to this life-and-death battle; however, all of his vision was primarily set on Raditz now. "Uncle Raditz! Hold on!" he ran to him to save him.

"Kid, watch out!" Piccolo warned his student.

Nappa heard the young voice. "Huh? Aah, your little nephew has finally decided to fight, too? I'm not sure if he's being matured or ignorant, but I guess I can decide on that."

"Hyah!" Gohan, in no time, did a straight punch, but Nappa only grabbed his little arm. Gohan's confidence instantly reduced down to zero. He found fear striking him again.

"Hey, why you're shaking? You're supposed to be enjoying all of this fighting since you're a Saiyan. HMPH!" Nappa greeted him with a knee strike to his stomach and, with his fists clasped together, did a heavy strike on Gohan's back.

"Augh!" Gohan never felt so much pain before in his life. Strangely enough, he did not cry rather he was feeling a little…

Chi-Chi was shaking Baba's crystal ball again. "AAH! My Gohan is hurt! This can't be happening to him!"

Ox-King was once again trying to make his daughter be fully composed. "Don't worry too much, Chi-Chi. He'll be fine, I'm sure!"

"Gohan, be careful!" Yamcha persisted to get up, but the sensation of pain trying to mess with the function of his arms and legs was not a good sign. "Darn it. Not good at all. What kind of enemies are we dealing with? I feel like they're invincible."

Raditz stood up once more, but his legs already giving out from over-fatigue and too much internal injuries. He held his right arm and because of his persistence to eliminate Nappa, he was prepared to resume battle with him again.

"Get away from him, Nappa!" Raditz shouted, trying to protect Gohan. He drew his fist back and moved it forward, sending an intimidating punch to Nappa's cheek, forcing blood to come out from his mouth. This result though especially after seeing the blood only added more to Nappa's temper.

"Why, you low-class fool! HYAH!" to return the favor again, he gave twice as much damage to Raditz's face, sending him down to the ground of defeat again. This time, Nappa teleported behind him and grabbed his tail.

"What?" Raditz turned his head in alertness.

"I'm well aware that you've been doing some training while I'm away, but did you even bother training this weakness of yours?" Nappa laughed as he suddenly squeezed his tail. In no time, he constricted it so hard that Raditz started to cry out in pain.

"Hah, hah! I knew it!" Nappa guffawed. "You're still nothing but a low-class warrior. You haven't even surpassed this weakness. That's too bad, isn't it?"

While Raditz continued to scream in pain, he struggled to open an eye to notice his father was still engaging with Vegeta in a one-on-one battle. Unfortunately, Bardock was rapidly tiring out. His face was clearly making every effort in hopes of causing more damage to the Saiyan Prince. Alas, his efforts were ill-fated as Vegeta still carried a huge amount of energy left for long periods of time as if he was a machine with unlimited power.

"Get back here, scum!" Vegeta mercilessly gave him a grueling punch, but Bardock barely escaped his attack. Vegeta though made him feel that his evasion skills were useless by surprising him with almost an invincible, strong kick to his neck, flinging him across their battle area. Bardock bit his lip and breathed hard. Vegeta walked behind him, his image as a regal, conceited Saiyan overlooked him, making Bardock seemed like he was nothing.

"Looks like you're getting tired," Vegeta examined his tired face.

Bardock tried to catch his breath still. When he strained to pull his arms up, they only twitched, making him lose balance.

"You're still a low-class Saiyan warrior indeed no matter how many times you try, you'll never be able to succeed," Vegeta told him with pride and dignity, thinking he was the best.

"I have to defeat him somehow," Bardock said to himself.

Suddenly, Vegeta grabbed his tail that was wrapped around his waist and he squeezed it real hard.

Bardock's eyes widened and shouted in agony; he felt he could faint. "Augh! Ugh!"

Vegeta chuckled. "Heh, heh, I was right; a low-class warrior indeed. Your powers are great, but you haven't come close to overcome this pathetic weakness. Hah, hah, hah!"

The Saiyan Prince squeezed his tail tighter, which resulted to Bardock having more pain. Raditz saw this and thought he was in danger…or perhaps both he and his father knew something that either Nappa or Vegeta did not. Bardock, while maintaining that upset expression, quickly glanced at his son. All of a sudden, he winked at him. Raditz grinned slightly and winked back.

Both father and son then put their heads half-way down. They suddenly fell silent. Nappa and Vegeta thought their rivals had passed out.

"Hah! Now you see, fellas?" Nappa stared at the Z-fighters who were still recovering slowly from their injuries. "Not even Raditz can save you now."

Everyone thought Raditz had finally lost to Nappa.

"Oh no, Raditz," Krillin worriedly said.

"Now, it's time to end this," Nappa said, lifting up his left arm, readying to obliterate his former comrade.

At the other hand, Bardock was about to meet his same fate.

The Z-warriors' friends at Kame House thought that this was the end for their friends out there, and the Z-fighters thought they had all completely lost, thinking their needed victory had left them.

Gohan's tears were coming back from his eyes. "Grandpa Bardock! Uncle Raditz! NO!" he cried and begged, hoping his voice might help them awaken.

But an abrupt disruption suddenly occurred that immediately wiped the smirks from Nappa's and Vegeta's face.

Bardock suddenly opened his eyes. "You think I fall for that?"

Vegeta had a perplexed face. "What?"

"Pathetic!" Bardock countered with a surprising punch to that prideful face of his, propelling him towards the skies. He reclaimed his stability and stayed in the air for a while and was angry for the moment. "You fool…!" Vegeta scowled.

Bardock fixed his bandanna for a brief while and then readied in his fighting stance. He had lost count of the number of rounds he and Vegeta had fought in, but one thing for sure, he needed to somehow triumph over the Saiyan elite with haste because even though his eyes had not been watching Raditz, Gohan, and the Z-warriors fighting Nappa, visions passing in his head were a reminder to him that his son, his grandson, and his fellow allies needed his help.

Nappa saw what just happened. "What the heck? How did that-huh?" he put his attention back to Raditz who, like his own father, suddenly woke up from his "pretend slumber." He blasted him with a ki blast directly at his face, making him fall on his back.

"What the?" Tien had no idea what happened.

Yamcha placed his hands on his hips and laughed a little. "Well, that was quite entertaining."

"Phew. He's okay," Krillin wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Uncle, Grandpa! They're both okay!" Gohan was very thankful.

Everyone at Kame House was relieved as well.

There was dust floating everywhere especially around Nappa's face as if he had been burying his head in sand. Nappa's hands were going into spasm, and he was coughing excessively. He finally situated himself while not having too much damage inflicted on him except for his mustache.

"You jerk! What was that?" Nappa questioned furiously.

"Just a small present from me," Raditz quickly fixed his battle gloves. "Your mustache's lookin' pretty good, by the way," he commented sarcastically.

"Huh?" Nappa briefly touched his upper lip and felt vacant marks. "Aah! My face! What have you done to my face, you crazy fool? It took me a while to grow this mustache!"

"Hey, you should be thanking me. Your face looks a lot better than before. I guess we just discovered a new way to shave your mustache faster without the need for a shaving blade and cream. Hah, hah!" Raditz gave out a humorous laugh.

"Rrrgh!" Nappa could feel his head boiling mad. "I won't be humiliated like this. Prepare yourself, Raditz."

"Heh," Raditz only awarded him with a grin.

What was in the past was all in the past now, Raditz suddenly thought. Like his father just told him, he was a reborn-Saiyan and that only meant he was free from the ill-treatment that he once lived through, released from the inner torment that he endured for so many years; it was time for him to shine powerfully.

"Stop smiling. It's time to get serious!" Nappa suddenly powered-up again. This time, the ground beneath him shook and crumbled as if there was a light quake. The pebbles and rocks were ascending into the air as if they can fly. A spark of aura ignited and engulfed Nappa.

Raditz's grin slowly faded. "He's powering up again, but I won't let you."

He bravely chose to do battle with him once more, give this next attempt a chance for it may be successful. He discontinued Nappa's power charge by giving him a surprising punch to his chest. The aura that engulfed Nappa disappeared without a trace. Raditz did not stop there as he continued by delivering a turning sidekick to his stomach, several more fists of fury in the company of deserved pain implanted on his abdomen, and finally, he ended his combo rush with a palm strike, its force field pushing him away.

"Yeah, you got him, Raditz!" Krillin cheered.

"He's strong," Piccolo was amazed. "No wonder I always have a hard time surpassing Goku. Saiyans are unpredictable," he said while gazing at the cerulean skies passing by inevitably above him.

The ache hurt at that time since Nappa was caught distracted, but the rage just burned more. He quickly had that notion that he was getting beaten by a low-class, which he will never accept to happen. Without the talk of cursed words but the growl that was seething through his teeth, Nappa lifted his right arm with his middle and index finger together.

Raditz backed off one step as he was being cautious about what he could possibly do. "What is he-"

"Rrrgh! You'll pay! Rrrgh!" Nappa's fingers sparked up. The ground below him and the Z-fighters began to illuminate. The battlegrounds started to shake more and more. These signs only spelled trouble.

"What's he doing?" Yamcha asked, feeling panicky.

"I have no idea," Tien said. "Is he getting desperate or-"

"This next move…all of you will die!" if Nappa had gathered enough power to ready this attack and activated it to wake an explosion of destructive energy beneath his opponents, the Z-warriors would had already been finished. Instead of this happening though, Nappa suddenly felt he could not move at all like a magic spell being casted on him.

"I-I can't move. What is this? Who's-," Nappa then became aware of a small and pale, yet strong-at-heart child in front of him. Chiaotzu was using his psychic abilities to freeze him from any action he planned to do, but due to Nappa's overpowering diligence that, no doubt, can break Chiaotzu's barrier of telekinesis in a frightful snap, the young child was speedily losing his ability to cease Nappa from his desires of attacking his friends.

"Guys, hit him as hard as you can! I can't hold him for much longer!" Chiaotzu quickly said, struggling with all his might.

"What are you doing, Chiaotzu? Be careful!" warned Raditz as he was worried about him.

"Hold him for as long as you can, Chiaotzu. You can do it! HYAH!" Tien went for the initiative and awarded Nappa with an astounding kick to his neck along with a high kick to his chin. Nappa was brought up to the skies. He was even more infuriated to know that Chiaotzu's psychic spell was not broken yet.

"Darn it! I still can't move!" Nappa angrily screamed.

"My turn!" Yamcha went ahead to make his move. He gave a hard-knuckled strike to his head, sending him down to the rocky grounds. As their enemy landed greatly on his two feet, his knee caps felt they were about to snap, Yamcha gave three consecutive punches on his stomach and then an outstanding elbow strike to his face, almost breaking his head.

Next fighter was Krillin. "This one's for Goku! KYAH!" putting a great amount of energy in his right foot, he presented a sturdy kick to his chest, almost breaking his ribs. He then went for an exploding uppercut to his chin and finally, a straight, driving punch to his chest once again, sliding him to Piccolo.

While Nappa was still being put under Chiaotzu's binding spell, Piccolo pulled his brawny arms back. With a loud yell, Piccolo gave a sidekick to his backside, followed up with a knee strike with his left foot and then ended his attack chain with a back-flip that sent him propelling towards Gohan.

"Gohan, now's your chance! Hit him!" Piccolo commanded.

It was the perfect time to inflict more damage on Nappa in hopes of finally weakening the Saiyan. It was the perfect opportunity for Gohan to finally show his friends and family that he was a warrior who can now battle without fear, without feelings of restraint because what mattered now was saving the entire world and bringing back peace.

Alas, this was the complete opposite of what Gohan had in mind. Instead, his heart was beating of terrified adrenaline in his veins, spreading the fear's virus as it controlled his young, fragile body.

"Gohan, what are you doing?" Piccolo shouted. "Attack him now!"

Chiaotzu endeavored to hold on, but when Nappa's eyes fully opened like he just woke up from a terrible nightmare, Chiaotzu quickly lost his ability to keep him under his spell.

"I-c-can't make it-AAH!" the friend of Tien felt a sharp prick in his head, forcing him to put an end to his psychic powers for the agonizing pain had painfully overtaken the child's body.

"Oh no, Chiaotzu!" yelled Tien.

Nappa, straight away, felt his body had been liberated. It was his chance now to take the boy's innocent life. Nappa gave a roaring yell, which frightened the young boy to his feet. Gohan could not do anything but cover his entire body, hoping Nappa would just disappear and leave him, his friends and family alone, but wish-making alone was not going to save him though.

"Gohan, get out of there!" Bulma and her friends cried as they were seeing all of this.

"Gohan!" Chi-Chi felt she could cry and faint at the same time.

"Gohan, no!" Raditz, after all the assault that he and the Z-fighters accomplished, they were still not successful in waning Nappa's brute defense. Raditz tried to make it in time to save his nephew from utter destruction, but someone came to the rescue first since he was the closest to his nephew.

"HYAH!" Tien used an incredible amount of energy to get to Gohan fast and shield him from the unbearable pain that no kid deserved to feel especially if he was the son of a father who was renowned as the strongest fighter on Earth and was great friends with the good fighters who were currently defending the Earth from Nappa and Vegeta. Nappa gave his giant fist a go and instead of striking Gohan, it hit Tien's right arm. Nappa's brief power-up a while ago increased his potential, making the pain twice as strong; the ache vibrated Tien's entire limb and made it lose its capacity to feel anything. As a result of this prevailing, consuming attack, it dreadfully sliced off Tien's victimized arm.

Gohan's eyes fully widened; his pupils were shaking. At that moment, he had to close them for this incident was just too much to witness.

"Tien!" Krillin exclaimed with great concern.

Piccolo and Yamcha could not say a word, but their eyes were struck with fear. This horrifying experience simply shocked everybody, particularly Raditz.

"Why is he-" Raditz stuttered between words. This was not the same Nappa he used to know. His powers right now were way beyond than he could have ever imagined!

For the Z-warriors, just witnessing the immense powers of the Saiyans instantly darkened the atmosphere and almost shut out the hope that were being carried inside their hearts. For their friends, they all were shutting their eyes from this horrifying experience. They were deeply worried about them, wondering what will happen to the Z-fighters. What will become of Earth now?

"Even Raditz and Bardock are not powerful enough to save their friends," Master Roshi was holding his walking stick tighter. "Goku…is our last hope."

Bardock and Vegeta were locked in a struggling battle, persisting to overcome each other, but a vision passed through Bardock's head again; a frightful apparition concerning about Tien and Chiaotzu. Bardock turned his head and tried to call to them, saying he will come there to help him. He spoke even louder after seeing Tien's cut right arm.

"Haven't I told you before?" Vegeta suddenly interrupted him. "You will not help them. You have to go through me first if you want to save your friends' pitiful, worthless lives! RARGH!" the Prince of all Saiyans gave a heavy, grueling head-butt on Bardock's head, forcing blood to spurt from his forehead.

"AUGH!" Bardock cried in pain.

"TIEN!" Chiaotzu yelled at the top of his lungs. His friendship and loyalty to Tien was so great, Chiaotzu decided to attack Nappa head-on without question.

Tien was gasping for air. He felt he could faint from all of this pain he was enduring, but despite of such an appalling occurrence in which he became a victim to, that he was the first to take great, suffering pains after the sacrifice he made just to protect Gohan, he continued to stay strong.

"Chiaotzu, please! Get away!" Tien yelled, holding his cut right arm.

Nappa heatedly locked his eyes on the small child. "You little imbecile! I won't be humiliated especially if it's coming from just a small twit like you!"

Chiaotzu ignored his threats and decided to go thoroughgoing against this merciless Saiyan. His speedy punches and kicks tried to hit his armored body, but none of his attacks were going through. Nappa was evading his attacks like nothing, but since he was too hot-headed, one of Chiaotzu's offensive jabs hit him on his cheek. Nappa snarled and instantly gave a head-butt on the boy's head, almost shattering his skull like breaking a window glass. Chiaotzu almost blacked out. His body suddenly lost all of its functions. Instead, he was falling from the sky, helplessly, vulnerable to any more attacks.

"Chiaotzu!" Tien used the remaining of his strength left to grab his friend close to him with his only left arm.

Chiaotzu opened an eye and tried to speak. "Ti-Tien?"

"It's all right, Chiaotzu," Tien felt deeply troubled about his friend's overall well-being.

Nappa scoffed. "Aww, what a touching moment, but make sure you say your last words to each other because you will both die right now!"

And so, the merciless, cruel Saiyan warrior was prepared to exterminate his first two victims with one of his most powerful techniques called "Kapa" or "Break Cannon." He opened his mouth and clearly, a beam started to form from the inside of his throat.

Chiaotzu was able to become conscious again.

"Chiaotzu, I want you to go now. You need to leave. It's too dangerous for you!" Tien insisted.

"No, I'm sticking with you, Tien," Chiaotzu refused. "I promise that I'll never leave your side. I don't want to leave simply because I need to run for my life. I want to save the people here on Earth. I want to protect our friends. I want to protect you. All of this is worth dying for."

Tien was being pressured as they were only seconds away from whether or not their fates will be decided, but his friend's moving speech almost mesmerized him; inspired him somehow. Chiaotzu and Tien had been through a lot ever since they started training together to become warriors of light and peace. In this long journey up until now, they learned a lot of aspects of life as well as the many ways of the world, righteous sacrifices, and friendships.

At that point, their sense of friendship grew stronger that no other pair of friends could possibly have. Tien and Chiaotzu decided to work together this time. If this will help their allies win this one fierce battle, then it was worth dying for.

"Chiaotzu, I promise that I'll never leave your side, too. We're in this together. Let's do it!" Tien looked at him with a proud smile.

"Right!" Chiaotzu looked at him with a smile, too.

"Now you're gonna get it!" Nappa was about to fire a bright blue beam of exploding energy that could disintegrate anything that was in its way.

It was that pinnacle moment that Tien and Chiaotzu used up everything their bodies could handle, increasing their fatigue to its highest and draining both of their life forces to almost none in order to boost their strengths of their powers to the maximum level possible. Piccolo, Krillin, and Yamcha sensed their depleting spirits, but the three were speechless at the moment. They could not possibly interfere with the noble decision that both Tien and Chiaotzu had made. Their decision was something of righteousness that could not be broken or shattered because it was the right course of action to take especially right now, the Z-fighters were desperate to win that they would do anything that they could do to achieve what they needed to achieve.

Gohan abruptly felt a tight, upsetting feeling in his stomach. Tien and Chiaotzu were about to risk their lives just to save the ones they cared, and the young boy was feeling worthless, almost accountable of his cowardly actions from running away from his first fight because he allowed only fear take over his heart.

Tien and Chiaotzu gathered an enormous quantity of vigor and power into their hands. Their bodies were surrounded with their own auras and those auras were slowly combining into one, resonating with each other in perfect harmony.

"Tien…Chiaotzu…," Krillin whispered.

Tien's and Chiaotzu's hands began to blink in white, luminous energy. Their readied attacks were all set to take down Nappa's ultimate finisher.

Raditz stepped closer and yelled at the two. "You need to get out of there! There's no way you can survive Nappa's blast!"

However, the Z-warriors will never know until they tried. Even if Piccolo, Krillin, or Yamcha were to step in, interfere or support, they might meet their ends sooner than they expected because of Nappa's power.

"This is for everyone!" Tien and Chiaotzu shouted to boost their morale.

"RARGH!" Nappa finally released his massive energy cannon from his mouth, packed with so much intensity and the capability to wreak damage to its surroundings in just a second. If this were to hit any being made of flesh and blood, it will certainly turn him or her into space dusts.

"HAAH!" Tien's one surviving hand and Chiaotzu's small hands were shining brilliantly of golden lights. This unknown, learned attack can be simply called an alliance's joint effort to defeat Nappa once and for all. The golden energy beams from their hands then merged into one and were released with great nobility and sacrifice.

The joint energy attacks from Tien and Chiaotzu's teamwork and the ultimate finisher of Nappa were intensifying in bright colors, the rays from them dispersing throughout the skies and grounds. They struggled to overcome each other.

"HYAAH!" Tien and Chiaotzu had nothing in their minds but the great endeavor that was needed to make. The promise that they both made that they will be with each other no matter was what kept their hearts strong. The decision to protect family and friends, it was for the greater good.


	30. Noble Sacrifice

Episode 30

Noble Sacrifice

While down on Earth, the Z-warriors were having the hardest fight of their lives, in the afterlife, Goku continued to travel along the endless Snake Way. So far, there were no signs yet of him being at the halfway point of the road yet, but he had to keep on going.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Goku said to the air. "Whatever it is, please hold on a little more."

Little as Earth's most powerful fighter knew, there were some far worse things happening down there; way beyond his imagination.

Nappa's ultimate finisher and Tien and Chiaotzu's combined powers of nobleness proceeded to overwhelm each other although the good was making every exertion to defeat the evil. The lights from the three's energy attacks danced wildly in the air, emitting winds from every direction and visible shockwaves that were shaking the air.

The Z-warriors could only stand in great hopes of what they wanted to happen in the near future. Raditz was at a state of shock. He could not somehow shout or scream to this peril he and his allies were facing, but stare at awe at the noble sacrifice Tien and Chiaotzu were making. No words could describe how powerful their bond of friendship was as if both had passed through a series of life-and-death tests in which they learned so much about life and understood each other as close brothers.

No other Saiyan had made a greater sacrifice than this.

Gohan was biting his lip the whole time; his eyes cannot bear to watch this any longer. "I-I can't look!" he tried to shield his eyes.

Piccolo though told him not to look away. "No, Gohan. Watch their bravery. They're doing their best to save the Earth. In a situation like this, you mustn't be afraid."

Gohan looked at him for a moment as if that message was also for him.

For Bardock, his head hurt once more as that same frightful vision passed again concerning about Tien and Chiaotzu. His fight with Vegeta was something he needed to put aside for a little while and save the two. Unfortunately, fate was obstinate enough not to allow even Bardock to change the course of it.

"I told you!" Vegeta shouted with anger, charging towards him. "You're not going to run away from me just so you can save your friends' lives that have no meaning. Why don't you just let them die so they can be freed from their misery?"

"You fool!" Bardock shouted back with even more anger. "Don't proclaim their lives to be meaningless. You and your senseless desires are something that should be called worthless!"

"RARGH!" the Saiyan Prince was not someone to be trifled with, however. Instead of Bardock saving his friends, he was presented with a powerful blow to his forehead, stopping him from his tracks.

He found himself gasping for a mouthful of air as the pain was hurting every limb of his body. Vegeta then mercilessly grab him by the hair, jerked his head, and stretched his chin so that he could enjoy seeing the pain written all over his face.

When Bardock though laid his eyes on Tien and Chiaotzu one more time, he shouted with great pain and sorrow. "NO!"

That pinnacle height, everything was decided. Tien and Chiaotzu realized their combined energy attack was able to break through Nappa's Break Cannon, but only portions of it like water going through small cracks from a mountain or a broken dam. Nappa's ultimate technique was able to consume the two friends though without mercy and regret.

Yamcha and Krillin were completely shocked. "TIEN! CHIAOTZU!" they yelled.

Because of Nappa's overwhelming power, it was able to disrupt the signal of Baba's crystal ball. Her crystal ball was suddenly malfunctioning a little.

"What's happening?" asked Master Roshi.

"I'm not sure," Baba replied, "but that fighter's power is great. I may be losing signal a little. What has Earth come into?"

"Oh no, Tien, Chiaotzu," Puar sorrowfully whispered.

This came as a message to everyone that Nappa's and Vegeta's strengths were indescribable.

Tien felt the ache attacking his body continuously especially Chiaotzu who, no kid, had ever witnessed any degree of pain this excruciating, but what was even more painful in both of their hearts that they did not succeed in overwhelming the ruthless Nappa. They were deeply worried about their friends who were forced to suffer and venture more into a world of pain just to find the light they once knew of.

However, both of them believed that a miracle would soon happen. Their hopes had not wavered yet; they will never falter. No matter how things looked bleak or hopeless, there was always hope at the very end. The only problem was when will that miracle come?

Tien used very little of his life force left in his body by holding Chiaotzu close to his arms, to at least lessen the pain his best friend was feeling. They both had made their valiant efforts and they were very happy to be able to stand beside their companions and show to their enemies that the Z-warriors will never back down even if it meant they needed to die for a worthy cause.

A smile appeared on both of their faces. They were hopeful enough that soon, victory will be granted. Tien and Chiaotzu were at least relieved that the two of them will continue to walk side-by-side in the afterlife.

After this event, everything finally returned to normal. Everything was quiet and strangely still. There floated Nappa up in the skies with his mouth still opened, but shaped to a satisfied smirk. The rest of the Z-warriors stood at one place, unmoving like statues.

Only Raditz shook his head slowly from left to right. He could not believe what just happened. "Th-they're g-gone."

The Z-fighters' friends at Kame House witness this, too. All were silent. They felt they could cry for two of their greatest friends had vanished.

Vegeta had a satisfied grin on his face. Knowing that Bardock was just as shock as the Z-fighters were that denied him to do anything at the moment but to only stare with disbelief, he let go of his hair and stood proudly.

"Well, it seems like two of your allies are gone," Vegeta smirked even more.

Bardock's eye vision reached on the rocky grounds that he stood upon on. He was not able to save the future, he thought. "…what's wrong with me…?" he said silently.

Krillin rapidly felt a remorseful feeling within his chest, making him sink on his knees with tears coming from his eyes. "No! Tien, Chiaotzu…why? Why did they-"

"We should've known," Yamcha finally found himself speaking, but find it hard to say some words. "Tien and Chiaotzu were no match for him," he suddenly made an angry fist; his temper rising up. "Why did we just stand here and did nothing? We should've helped them, but-"

"-but it's too late," Piccolo finished for him. The Namekian's face was all serious. "Even if we were to help him, perhaps all of us would've been gone already. Besides, at that point, it was their time to show their courage and might. If we would've interfered with their noble sacrifice, it would have left them with regrets instead of faith."

Nappa realized there were scratches on his Saiyan armor, but there was no damage inflicted on him. "That was some work. Well, looks like hand-puppet and third-eye freak are no longer by your side; only five more fighters to go. So…," he clasped his fists together. "Who'd like to go next?"

Krillin bit his lip with anger. "At the end, he still treats this like a game. I can't believe this."

Yamcha then said to him with pure anger, "You monster! You killed Tien and Chiaotzu! I'll never forgive you for that. Fine!" suddenly, he readied in his fighting stance, similar to the pose of a wild wolf with glistening, dangerous eyes. "Come at me, you fiend. We'll avenge Tien and Chiaotzu and ensure them that their sacrifice was worthy."

Nappa only laughed. "My, my, my, you're pretty confident. I like that attitude. Fine, let's begin. I'm ready when you are," he readied in his stance also.

Vegeta scoffed at Yamcha's will to fight who was risking his life for the greater good. "Hah; very confident indeed. It's sad that neither one of you even sees the end that awaits you. By now, you should all surrender. How stubborn can you guys get?"

Piccolo heard what he said and decided to make him feel at least wary of what he will soon encounter in the near future. "Hmph. Wait 'till Goku arrives. Let's see if you're still so cocky."

"And who's this Goku?" Vegeta asked while smirking with pride. "Is he that strong?"

"I'm sure. He's strong enough to beat you and your friend here. That, I'm confident about," Piccolo grinned back.

Vegeta's smirk instantly vanished, but whispered. "One thing for sure; no one's able to stand up to my own power. Someone who's actually stronger than me? Hah, not a chance."

While he continued to set his eyes on the Namekian, Bardock finally said something. "He's telling the truth, you know."

"Hmm?" Vegeta looked down at him.

Bardock used his hands to pull his chest and abdomen up while his legs were still on the ground. Even if his back was turned from him, his aura of fury was blazing invisibly in the air. It was so strong, it can almost be felt.

"You," Bardock found himself trembling not from fright, but anger. "I will…destroy you."

"What? You're going to destroy me?" Vegeta could not help but laugh.

"I will destroy you right now!" he repeated and this time, he yelled. Suddenly, he stood back on his two feet and in no time, gave a straight punch to his face.

Luckily for the Saiyan Prince, he caught his attack, but both of their fists were shaking. This came as a bad sign for Vegeta. It only indicated to him that he needed to finish their battle quick especially now that Bardock seemed like he was powering up once more.

"RARGH!" Vegeta gave a strong battle yell, his blue aura bursting in the air, almost pushing Bardock back, but he will never back down from anything.

The two Saiyans in the battlefield took their battle up in the skies. From there, they were locked in a one-on-one combat once again, but each time they resumed battle, their fights always became fiercer and more brutal.

Bardock was fighting once again as if he regained some energy back. After seeing Nappa had obliterated Tien and Chiaotzu, this gave him more power in his heart, enough to continue hindering Vegeta from getting too close to the Z-fighters, to not allow him to input any additional trauma and harm that the Z-warriors were already experiencing. And especially that he was not able to prevent Tien's and Chiaotzu's cruel fates from happening, regardless of seeing visions about it, this new anger had given him more fighting spirit than any Saiyan could had.

Raditz quickly checked on his father. He was quite surprised to know that he was still standing. "Father…"

"HYAH!" Yamcha finally decided to make his first move.

"Hold on, Yamcha!" Krillin refused for another friend of his to take such a risk.

Yamcha slid down on the ground, extending his right foot to trip Nappa, but Nappa got out of the way. As he floated in the skies, he was surprised to know that Yamcha was fast enough to be able to land a heavy punch on his face with anger vibrating throughout his skull.

"Kyah, hyah!" Yamcha then went all-out on his enemy along with a one-two punch followed by slicing claw strikes that were scratching everywhere his foe's body. Finally, he went for a quick, turning hook kick, sending him to the soil of the Earth.

Nappa tried to regain his posture. As he fell, he reduced the impact of his fall by having his two palms slapped against the ground. Before his mind turned back to battle mode, Piccolo, deciding to help out Yamcha, appeared behind Nappa and gave him a sidekick to his back and then a high front kick, sending him up to the skies again. Krillin this time decided to help his friends to continue their so-far-successful-chain-attack.

"Hyah!" Krillin gave some power to his attacks. He teleported above him, clasped his hands together, and presented a hard-knuckled strike to his head. Nappa, once again, was about to make a heavy impact with the ground.

Yamcha reappeared in front of the falling Nappa. He drew his fist back and readied for a powerful energy blast.

"I have enough of you!" Yamcha yelled, his hand brightening up every second.

Nappa though opened his eyes very wide. He gave a wide grin, showing his teeth that were hungry to kill more. He laughed raucously. "Hah, hah! You think your puny teamwork's enough to stop me?"

Yamcha ignored the threats that were coming from his mouth as he opted to launch his ki blast, targeted straight at his armor. Nappa immediately evaded his energy blast though. Yamcha was surprised that he could evade it from such a short range.

"Now it's my turn," the coldblooded Saiyan was readying himself to give Yamcha the pain that he thought he deserved.

"No!" Yamcha realized that even a major amount of powerful attacks could not even impede this unrelenting Saiyan. Startlingly, Raditz appeared in front of him; his face displayed a very serious, solemn expression filled with scorching rage.

"Raditz?" Nappa did not expect him.

His rival then brought his hands together with his fingers spread apart. A blinking light started to form from the center of Raditz's palms; so bright and vivid, it ought to be filled with a lot of power.

"HYAH!" Raditz then released a potent, energy blast that was colored violet with sparks of lightning surrounding it, to show much how concentrated the power of this blast was.

Nappa caught it with both of his hands, but struggled just to cancel the attack or at least deflect it away. In his head, he assumed Raditz, once again, increased in strength for the anger that was burning in his chest was taking effect once more. As Nappa strained, the energy blast was slashing his Saiyan armor bit by bit.

"Augh! Why you, you low-class Saiyan. You're nothing but a weakling!" shockingly, the energy blast exploded in front of him, spreading rays and lights, which followed with immediate smoke afterwards. Behind the clouds of smoke, Nappa continued to stand. Additionally, he was about to fire a blast of his own, however, Raditz will not allow that. Taking advantage of his opponent's vision being blurred, Raditz charged towards him and drew his right fist back.

"This one's for Tien and Chiaotzu!" he wanted to avenge the two great warriors and friends' passing; partners who had always stood with each other side-by-side.

"Huh? UWAGH!" an excruciating sensation abruptly plagued Nappa's entire body that, for the first time, actually stopped him from his tracks.

Raditz's fist made a full-forced, sheering punch against Nappa's armor. In Raditz's mind, all he could think right now was to overcome Nappa and finally stop this Saiyan's frenzy killing. As his punch hit against his breast plate, some portions of it shattered into pieces like broken glass.

"All right!" Krillin cheered.

"Yes, Raditz is finally able to penetrate his armor," Yamcha said with some relief. "I just hope we have at least a slight advantage now."

Gohan was beginning to feel a bit less scared than before especially after witnessing that display of dynamic vigor his uncle just did. "Uncle Raditz!" he cheered for him.

Piccolo could not help but grin. Once again, he was reminded of Goku who shared similar powers to Raditz; obviously, they were brothers after all.

"They're making a comeback," Oolong suddenly said to the quiet, sad crowd, trying to heighten up their hopes once again.

"I really do sure hope it's enough," Bulma seemed hopeless though. "This is too much for our friends."

"Yeah, this is very dangerous," Puar agreed.

Chi-Chi, even though it seemed like she only cared about her son, she also cared about the other people out there who was now saving the Earth. After seeing the great deeds they had done through Baba's crystal ball, she interpreted there was something more behind to their good deeds. She growled and suddenly said to her friends, "I'm sure it's enough! Don't be such a downer. Once Goku shows up, everything will change. You'll just see!"

"Chi-Chi," Bulma looked at her.

Master Roshi quickly laughed. "Wow, and I thought she only cared about Gohan's studies," he whispered.

The weakening of Nappa's armor lessened his brute defense that had always been keeping him almost immune to any kind of weak and strong attacks as if an invincible shield around him was finally broken; at least some parts of it.

Nappa was clearly trembling from the sudden, unexpected pain he received from Raditz, the one who he had always thought of as the weakest of all Saiyans that he was not fit to be part of a brigade filled with strong Saiyan warriors. But, at this very moment, he was actually proven wrong.

Raditz was breathing heavily. Anger was still written all over his face. The rage within him had not burned out yet; not until Nappa was gone for good.

"You should've never underestimated me, Nappa," Raditz seriously said.

"You punk!" Nappa cursed. "You will pay for this," his temper sprang up again. He softly touched his chest and noticed that Raditz left a huge bruise there. Nappa could only growl to himself.

Bardock and Vegeta dashed forward and they both collided with their fists. A shockwave was produced, pushing both of the Saiyans back. The two resurfaced on the ground once again. Bardock was perspiring to a greater extent. Vegeta was panting slightly more than usual, but he did not worry. The chance of him getting hindered from his own fatigue was still out of the picture.

What brought Vegeta to alertness though was Nappa's unusual, abrupt change in his fighting mode. Vegeta just needed to question him. "What's wrong, Nappa? Don't tell me these cretins are holding you back!"

"No, of course not, Vegeta," Nappa refused to acknowledge the thought that he was slowly being beaten. "Low-level jerk Raditz and his blasted allies had the upper-hand somehow."

Bardock was quite surprised to hear that. He quickly turned around to see his son standing proudly like a true Saiyan warrior. "Raditz…"

Vegeta scoffed and was irritated. "You better not disappoint me, Nappa. How many times do I have to tell you this? You better start using that head of yours if you want to win," he lectured him a bit.

"Yes, Vegeta," Nappa rather replied with some guilt.

While the air was still, the breeze was cool, and the Z-fighters were standing still, Vegeta noticed the shattering of Nappa's breast plate. He was at first did not believe that anything could pierce through an armor except by the means of some other fighter that was obviously a lot stronger than Nappa, of course. Vegeta then noticed Raditz's right hand had open wounds and scratches on it. The Saiyan Prince assumed this was Raditz's doing; being able to shatter through Nappa's armored clothing although Raditz had to endure even more pain just so he could diminish his defense.

"That Raditz; he's a lot tougher than I thought," Vegeta snarled.

Bardock turned to face his opponent again. He commented on that statement. "Of course; you can _never_ underestimate his power."

"Power that was born from a low-class warrior?" the Saiyan Prince insulted again.

This time though, Bardock could only grin. "He is my son. I trained him and pushed him to be a warrior to be worthy of. I trained him to be a fighter who fights with the mind and the heart. You may think he's only a low-class Saiyan, but he has a lot more power hidden within him. You must know that power alone is not enough to win a battle."

"Hmph!" Vegeta scoffed proudly. He would only listen to his own pride; that was for sure. "You're gonna eat those words soon enough. It's clear right now that Raditz and his comrades is still no match for Nappa. It's clear that you're no match for me. Stop with all of this wishful thinking. It's time to accept the reality!" he shouted with his blue aura appearing again and bursting with power.

"Then we'll just have to keep on trying!" Bardock's light blue aura surrounded him as well. Both he and the Saiyan Prince resumed their longest, most intensifying battle ever yet.

At Kami's Lookout, Kami had been watching the fight all along. So many emotions lurked inside of him; so much distress and anguish was in his fragile heart after realizing the noble sacrifice that Tien and Chiaotzu did was futile; so much worry and anxiety if the good or evil would win. As of right now, Bardock was the only one who could have defeated Nappa when he had the chance, way much earlier ago, so that Tien and Chiaotzu did not have to make the ultimate sacrifice and would have still lived. Unfortunately, Vegeta forbid him to by keeping Bardock away from his friends and family by battling him and putting his life at stake.

Popo saw the worried look on his friend's face. "Sir Kami, what's happening down there?"

"…only I could say now, Mr. Popo, is that I have little time left in this world," Kami believed.

Popo became anxious when he heard of this. "Kami! Do you mean that Piccolo is going to die?"

Kami was silent for a moment. "…yes, he will, Mr. Popo. I do not know when, but he will very soon. If that happens, then I would fade also from existence."

"But what about Goku? He's the only one who can save everybody now," hoped Popo.

Kami tried to sense Goku's coming from his long journey in Snake Way. He felt nothing. "I can't sense him still, but you're right, my friend. This world is at stake. We really need Goku."

In the battlefield, while Nappa was trying to recover from his injuries, Yamcha, Krillin, and Piccolo came closer to Raditz.

"What do we do now, Raditz?" asked Yamcha. "I sensed his fighting power not too long ago. Despite of his armor quite broken, he's still stronger than any of us combined."

Piccolo had an idea in his head that he had been meaning to ask. "What about his tail, Raditz? Isn't that a Saiyan's weakness considering it happened to you once before? Why not we go and just grab his tail? Then, all of his power would drain."

"Are you serious?" Krillin said. "If that's the case, why not we do it then? Sounds like a brilliant plan."

"No, it'll not work," Raditz shook his head. "I know Nappa and Vegeta well. I've been working with them ever since. They both already surpassed that weakness, regrettably."

"What?" Yamcha was frustrated. "Then, how we're supposed to beat him now if we can't find any more weaknesses in him?"

Raditz finally thought of a plan. "Listen. Vegeta, too, knows this, but every time Nappa makes an assault, he finds it hard to concentrate to his surroundings as he only focuses on his target. So, if he were to attack one of us, two of us can attack from behind or from the side. Then, we can finish him off by a combined energy technique."

"I like the sound of your plan," Piccolo said.

The four warriors then descended from the skies and landed on the ground.

Gohan ran up to them. "Are you all right?"

"We're fine, kiddo," Krillin smiled.

"Yeah, this is one heck of a tough battle," Yamcha commented. "Sad to say, but we're in bit of a trouble. Gohan, I know that this is your first battle, but we really need your help. Your powers can be of great use. We know you can do it."

"Yeah, Gohan," Krillin encouraged. "You're the son of Goku after all! I bet you can fight like your father does."

The young warrior still thought this was all too much for him. Easier said than done was all in his mind now. "I'm-I'm not sure if I can do it."

Suddenly, Piccolo shouted at him. "Gohan!"

The Z-fighters were startled by his sudden temper. Raditz, being the uncle of Gohan, was a bit concerned about him. He had to wonder how many times Gohan had to listen to Piccolo's ill-humored sermons during his long, arduous training with the Namekian?

Naturally, this was for his own good.

"Look, your grandfather and I didn't train you so hard for nothing," continued Piccolo. "You're hiding behind like a coward. I thought you were better than this. We really need your potential now, Gohan. You got to fight!"

Gohan gaped for a little while and then the young warrior looked down on the ground, feeling some hidden shame in his heart.

Nappa had finally recovered from his injury on his chest. He followed the Z-fighters while looking not too happy. He then interrupted Piccolo's lecture to Gohan. "Hey, you pesky insects! I have to admit. I give you all credit for your efforts at least, but don't think you can celebrate for long. It's time to get back to business."

"Tch!" Piccolo clicked his tongue. "Gohan, remember what I said. Look, here's what you can do. Raditz, Yamcha, Krillin, and I are going to land a few blows on our enemy. Then, I'll send him to you and from there, do your most powerful, energy technique ever!"

Gohan felt fear again running his mind. "Me-me? But why?"

"I have no time to babysit you, Gohan," Piccolo was angry once more. "It's the only way to weaken our foe. I know you, Gohan. I trained you, and your energy techniques are one of your specialties. You can carry them out as strong as I could've done."

Yamcha was quite impressed to hear that. "Oh really? Then I don't wanna miss that. C'mon, Gohan, show us your true fighting potential," he encouraged him.

"Be prepared. No time to waste," Raditz suddenly said to his allies after noticing Nappa was hastily approaching them.

"Here I go!" Nappa gave them his signal. He used his flying abilities and dashed at them at full speed.

While Raditz stood there with his legs and arms bended, Yamcha, Krillin, and Piccolo suddenly vanished as they quickly left and find the right opportunity to strike.

"I'll start with _you_, Raditz! Rargh!" Nappa was about to brawl at him and award him with a thousand times more pain from his right knuckle; perhaps crush _his_ Saiyan armor and make him more vulnerable to any attacks.

Nappa moved his right arm forward. Raditz bit his lip, barely having the time to block it. Nappa's hand persisted to hit his neck and make him paralyzed while Raditz tried to push his fist back. Then, Raditz let go of his hand, but at the same time, evaded his fast-moving punch. He hardly evaded it that it was able to leave a streak of blood on Raditz's right cheek.

Raditz gripped his teeth. "Darn it. He's become even faster than before!"

"Get back here, scum!" Nappa chose to follow the escaping Raditz by presenting another rowdy punch to his neck until, out of the blue, a Z-warrior appeared to Nappa's left.

"Kyah!" Krillin did a high front kick to his stomach, almost crushing his abdomen. Krillin then went below him and did another kick that sent him in the skies.

"Where the heck did you come from?" Nappa questioned angrily.

While his temperature boiled once again, he did not realize from behind, Yamcha was about to make his move. "Hyah!" Yamcha elbow struck him on his face. After that, Yamcha called on Krillin. "Hey, Krillin! Let's turn up the heat!"

"All right, Yamcha!" Krillin agreed.

Just before Nappa regained his stability and be able to keep track of where he was now, suddenly, from both sides of his vision was Yamcha to the right of him and Krillin to the left of him. He noticed that the two fighters' both of their hands started to form a blinking beam of white energy within.

Without delay, they launched their most famous attacks. "Kamehame-HA!"

From below, Gohan was watching how his friends and family were fearless to fight this evil. They were risking their lives out there in order to save their world and their beloved ones and all who inhabit Earth. It was the courage that was beating endlessly in their hearts that they were willing to risk it all in order to bring back the peace and light they once knew.

Gohan thought he should start thinking like this, too, as well as acting one. "Here it goes," rather uneasily though, he placed his palms in front of his forehead. He tried to remember all of his helpful training that had made him what he was now today.

The two Kamehameha attacks successfully struck Nappa, distracting him very easily. As the fog ruined his vision momentarily, Piccolo from behind sent an overwhelming elbow strike to his back, propelling him towards Gohan.

"Now, Gohan!" Piccolo yelled.

Gohan's palms were finally blinking with spectacular, yellow lights. Nappa was drawing to him fast; his ominous figure grew every second. The young boy started to have second thoughts.

"What are you doing, Gohan?" Piccolo yelled. "Do it now!"

Raditz, as his uncle, completely understood the emotion of apprehension trying to hinder him from fighting the best he can. What he needed right now was some kind of encouragement from his own uncle.

"Gohan!" Raditz, this time, talked to his nephew. "Don't let fear take over you. You have the power!"

Gohan blinked one time. Then, his eyes widened. He was awakened from his mental slumber. He was reminded of why he was here in the first place. The young warrior shook his head. He gripped his teeth together. He was prepared to make his move.

"I can do it! Masenko-HA!" Gohan powered up to his limits. He drew his hands forward and finally fired the golden beam of valiant power.

"Huh?" Nappa regained consciousness, but was too late to react to Gohan's Masenko. He was blanketed by its pure shaft of light. The sudden pain he received from the boy was too unanticipated. He never imagined that this innocent child could wield so much strength despite of his defenseless-like appearance. Nappa just underestimated the Z-warriors' relentless hearts.

"Amazing!" Krillin was just amazed. "Gohan, you're awesome!"

"All right, little dude," Yamcha praised him with a proud fist. "So this is Goku's son's latent potential, huh? You did a nice job!"

Gohan found himself laughing happily. He made a huge accomplishment today. He looked at Piccolo's face to see his reaction. Piccolo gave no expression, but just a nod, indicating he did very well.

Raditz simply smiled. He was proud of him.

Alas, to all the Z-warriors' frustration, Nappa continued to stand, but his Saiyan armor was done even more damage. His right shoulder plate was cut off with further scratches on his armor.

"Gohan was able to damage more of his armor," Yamcha was smiling. "This is a good sign!"

Nappa was fuming mad though. At this very moment, he could not think straight at all. The only notion in his mind right now was pure rage and the desire to kill everyone now.

"Wow!" Bulma clearly saw what Gohan had just done. "That's Goku's son, all right!"

Master Roshi nodded. "Like father, like son."

"Hooray!" Oolong, Puar, and Turtle cheered.

Fortuneteller Baba was rubbing her very wrinkled face. "I think that your friends are lot stronger than my own fighters. Hah, hah!"

Ox-King was amazed. "Wow, did you just see that, Chi-Chi?"

Chi-Chi had no idea what to say, but to stare blankly at her son through the crystal's glass-like surface. "I don't believe it. Is he really my son or is that Goku in disguise? I just can't believe it!"

Ox-King scratched his head. "She's saying funny things now."

Vegeta and Bardock were still fighting. Bardock was struck on his stomach by Vegeta's unbelievable, astounding kick. It pushed him back so far, his knees sliding harshly on the ground. When he stopped, Bardock noticed that Vegeta was already behind him, prepared to give him a driving punch.

"Rrrgh!" but Bardock used his acceleration to do a back-flip, avoiding Vegeta's attack. Once Vegeta realized that his fist had hit nothing, Bardock performed a surprising roundhouse kick to his back.

Vegeta was blown away, but regained his balance in no time. He smirked when he faced him and then said to him, "You have to do better than that to beat me. Hyah!" he fired barrages of energy blasts.

Bardock was hit by two or three, but deflected the last ki blast. "See if you can dodge this," he then did one of his special moves: Riot Javelin. The powered-up blue sphere was launched towards Vegeta at great speed.

"Hah, do you think that's gonna work on me?" Vegeta readied himself to cancel the attack.

However, Bardock did something unexpected. On his left hand, he generated another Riot Javelin and he discharged straight at his other one; thus, combining the two together to create one powerful attack.

"Hmph!" Vegeta did not have time to cancel and so, he crossed his arms in great defense, shielding his body, and the two Riot Javelins exploded.

"Huh?" Krillin and Raditz noticed the scheme that Bardock did to his opponent and it impressed them so.

Unfortunately, Bardock could still sense his energy. The Saiyan Prince was still standing, unscathed. Bardock only did very little damage to his armor and nothing more.

Vegeta had a great laugh. "Hah, hah! That's quite impressive. You're the first Saiyan to ever do that kind of skill. I must admit, you're no common low-class."

Bardock growled angrily at this. He was rapidly running out of options on how to beat the Saiyan Prince. Then, suddenly, his head pricked as a vision came to pass again. "What?" in this vision, he saw two people, drenched in their own blood, but their faces seemed like they were smiling at a young boy who was crying as he was drenched in his own tears.

Vegeta took advantage of this mere distraction by striking him on his stomach with a straight, clean punch without error or mistake. Vegeta struck him again with a turning kick, bringing him to the ground with a lot more pain and fatigue.

"Hah, you should've not taken your eyes off of me, idiot," Vegeta snorted.

Krillin and Raditz clearly witnessed this. They were even more frightened than ever. Even though Vegeta and Nappa were outnumbered by the Z-fighters, the two Saiyan elites can clearly take on so many fighters in the battlefield and both would win one way or another.

"I can't believe this," Krillin started to say. "No matter how hard we try, it's still no use," his hands then became fists. He frustratingly looked at the blue skies and its beautiful, unharmed, white clouds painted on its surface. He sometimes wished he was those clouds instead so he would not have to face any danger. "Goku, what's taking you so long? We need you!"

Vegeta somehow heard this, making him look at them. He wondered who this "Goku" was that they kept repeating.

Raditz looked at the skies, too, and thought about his younger brother. "…Kakarot…"

"Kakarot?" Vegeta's eyes widened.

"Rargh!" Nappa took advantage of the fear of his opponents that was spiraling in their heads, making them think if there was no end to this grueling battle. Nappa, almost at the speed of light, took Piccolo and Yamcha down. Next was Krillin and Raditz and lastly, there was Gohan.

"Now, you little runt! Prepare to die!" Nappa roared.

"Aah!" Gohan was once again backing away, trembling with more terror than any more of his friends and family were feeling.

Nappa was prepared to take him to his end until Vegeta halted his comrade. "Nappa, hold on!"

He immediately stopped and asked what was wrong.

"I need to ask them something," Vegeta replied and turned to the Z-fighters. "I need to know. This 'Goku' you keep mentioning…are you talking about Kakarot?"

With the Z-warriors still unfamiliar with that name, Raditz and Bardock decided to speak.

"That's right," Bardock said.

"Oh really? Where is he now?" Vegeta asked with a wide, evil grin.

"…he's been doing some training himself," Raditz said, "to prepare for you two."

Vegeta then laughed with pride. "Hah, hah, hah! You all make me laugh. How will Kakarot, the son of a low-class warrior named Bardock, could possibly beat us? Like you, Raditz, Kakarot betrayed the entire Saiyan race and you said that he's not even as strong as you. You're just wasting your time trying to hold onto your lives as you wait for someone who can't even save you."

Piccolo scoffed. "Hah! That's where you're wrong. You may have not seen him yet, but you'll soon taste his latent potential. He has been training a lot."

Nappa laughed this time. "Then why isn't he here yet? Guess he's too afraid to come to fight."

Gohan decided to step up and defend his father. "Hey, my dad's gonna be way stronger than you. You'll just see."

Vegeta thought this was interesting. If the Z-warriors were truly convinced that Goku will be the one to match up with Nappa and him, it was worth seeing it. Vegeta will prove though that their hopes and wishes were all false as soon he showed a Saiyan elite's real potential that was capable enough to destroy even this Goku.

"Let's wait then for Kakarot; three hours maximum," the Saiyan Prince finally decided.

"Come on, Vegeta, that's ridiculous. I'm about to finish them off here," complained Nappa. "I say they die now!"

Vegeta gave him a stern look. "Nappa, do you _really_ want to defy me?"

His comrade felt a cold shudder. "No, of course not; sorry, Vegeta. I got carried away."

"The battle will resume after three hours whether Kakarot is going to be here or not," Vegeta planned.

Nappa landed on the ground. "Okay."

Nappa and Vegeta got together and isolated themselves away from the remaining Z-fighters on the battlefield. The two Saiyan elites were within the empty part of the area while the Z-warriors were near the huge, rocky canyons.

"What's going on?" Bulma wondered why there was a sudden pause to the fight. Her face was closer to the crystal ball, her nose almost touching it. "Why did they stop?"

"That's kinda strange," Oolong said.

"Are they waiting for something?" Turtle asked.

Ox-King and Chi-Chi said nothing, but Chi-Chi was most worried still.

"Maybe they're taking a break or something," Master Roshi thought.

Puar repeated what he said. "A break?"

"What?" Bulma thought that was plain ridiculous. "I don't believe they're _that_ formal."

Vegeta was sitting on a boulder with his scouter on with his timer set on to three hours.

"Is it worth waiting this long?" Nappa was questioning the prince. "I'm hungry for action here."

"Be patient," Vegeta said. "I want to know if Kakarot is really that strong," he then glanced at Bardock and Raditz. Surely, they were both feeling very tired right now, but not injured enough to cease them from fighting more. He had never seen low-class Saiyans this persistent before. This made him worry a little.

The Z-warriors were actually quite relieved for this unexpected break. They were now taking this three hour interval to rethink their plans and also come up with new ones, but at the moment, they could not think of anything.

The silence was already becoming too suspenseful and uptight.

"Seriously, guys," Yamcha sat on a rock. "This is too much. I can't think of anything else. We've just lost Tien and Chiaotzu. I can't afford to lose any one of us anymore."

Krillin uneasily looked at the skies again. "I just really hope Goku arrives before our three hours are up, but where is he? I can't sense him."

"I can't sense him either," Piccolo said, "but we can't just always rely on Goku. We need to come up with a new plan somehow."

"But what?" Raditz seemed almost hopeless.

Gohan was standing nervously. He just wanted his father to come back home.

Piccolo then stared at Raditz and Bardock. _"I can't believe that even they, too, can't beat Nappa and Vegeta. They're already at their full power. They're way stronger than any of us combined, yet they're still no match for them."_

Bardock was sitting on a boulder, too. His face was very solemn. His mind was drifting elsewhere. His eyes were focused on a particular angle.

Raditz glanced at his father with a saddened expression. He understood how he felt now. _"Father…"_

Bardock was getting angry at himself, about his own strength especially his visions. He felt it was kind of his fault for letting tragedies happen, but he guessed it was hard to stop the inevitable.

However, according to one vision of his, Goku was the only one who can save them all.


	31. The Wait

Episode 31

The Wait

**Dear readers**

**Sorry for the long-wait, but here's another chapter! I'll try to continue more chapters as possible in the long-run.**

**Thank you!**

An hour had passed by.

Nappa growled. "Come on, Vegeta. Is it really worth the wait? I'm hungry for action here! I can't wait to beat our enemies to a pulp!"

Vegeta opened his eyes. He had his scouter on to keep track of time. He told his comrade, "Kakarot needs to be taught a valuable lesson. He has forgotten of what it means to be a Saiyan; Saiyans that are supposed to be mindless, coldblooded warriors, but instead, Kakarot chose to do the pitiful work of good," he spat.

Vegeta then stared at Raditz and Bardock. "Just like those two imbeciles over there. We're going to wait for Kakarot and make him suffer by killing his friends and family."

This short speech lit a fire in Nappa. He was more eager than ever to simply turn their enemies into lifeless bodies. "I like how you think, Vegeta. It's a great plan," he said.

"But it depends if he's ever gonna show up or not," Vegeta reminded him.

"So if Kakarot doesn't arrive, I can kill all of them myself, right?"

"Not all of them. We still need to see if the Namekian will still reveal to us the location of the DragonBalls."

Meanwhile, the Z-warriors were waiting impatiently for Goku's arrival.

"Man, where's Goku?!" Krillin asked apprehensively. "Was he even brought back to life?"

"He should be," Yamcha said. "Bulma and the others had already made the wish, didn't they?"

Krillin nodded. "Yeah, they already did."

"With Goku or not, we still need to fight Vegeta and Nappa one way or another," Piccolo reminded them. "It's no use running away now."

At Snake Way, Goku was almost close in finishing his destination, but his anxiety was really getting into him. He felt he was taking too long. He wondered if he will ever make it.

"What if Goku doesn't make it? Then…what are we supposed to do?" Krillin asked his fellow allies.

Raditz briefly looked at his father who was still in deep thought. He was still sitting on the boulder.

Just before anyone answered Krillin's question, Bardock answered for all of them.

"We'll continue to give it all we've got," Bardock said, turning his head to face them. "You all continue to take care of Nappa. I'll continue to take care of Vegeta-"

"Hold on there, Bardock," Yamcha interrupted. "Aren't you…stronger than Nappa himself? I mean," he began to laugh, "if that's the case, why won't you take him out for us and then we can all work together and beat Vegeta? Hah, hah!"

Krillin gave a look. "Uh…"

Bardock turned away. "I wish that was possible, but Vegeta's smarter than he looks. He knows that I'm stronger than Nappa, and letting me beat Nappa myself is something he won't allow."

Piccolo snorted. "Hah, that Vegeta still thinks this is all fun and games to him…how pathetic."

Gohan, who was being quiet all the time, said something, "Bu-but I'm sure that my dad we'll come very, very soon!"

Everyone looked at him.

"I mean, we came this far," Gohan continued to say. "I'm sure in no time, my dad will come. Just wait and see!"

Everyone smiled to know that Gohan, even though he was only a very young child, was a positive thinker.

"You're right, little dude," Yamcha approached him and ruffled his hair. "We shouldn't worry so much. Like what Bardock said, we'll just give it all we've got!"

"Right!" agreed Krillin.

Piccolo found himself smiling a little. _"I knew you were always been a strong kid, Gohan."_

Bardock looked at his grandson. His lips curled into a small smile. He was very proud of him.

Nappa overheard their little conversation and scoffed at their confidence for thinking they will win the next battle after the three hour wait. He told them, "You keep your fantasies to yourself! But the reality will be that you're _all_ gonna die even if Kakarot arrives or not."

"Hey!" Raditz turned to his former companion and gave him a serious look. "Maybe you shouldn't be making such rash theories especially with that useless brain of yours."

"Oh, is that so?!" Nappa stood up in anger. "Those are a lot of words coming from someone who can't even surpass the power of a Saiyan elite."

Raditz's eyes widened. He felt slightly offended by what he just said especially that he still sort of considered himself a low-class Saiyan, but he brushed such negative thoughts from his mind. He tried to remember what his father said, that he was a special kind of a Saiyan warrior with power from both the mind and heart.

Before Raditz could say anything back, Gohan stood up for his uncle and shouted at Nappa. "Be quiet, you big bully! You can't talk to my uncle that way and stop thinking that my dad's weak! He's stronger than you, so you just wait!"

Nappa had really gotten angry. "Why you, you little runt! I can see now where you got that attitude from. Now you both are gonna get it!"

Before he had done anything, Vegeta, who was trying to meditate all this time, opened his eyes and glared at his companion and said in a low, frightening voice, "Nappa, do you _really_ want to defy my orders. Well, do you? Didn't I tell you to wait?"

Nappa froze, knowing that if he went against the Saiyan Prince's orders, he will be gone sooner than he thinks. He stomped on the ground hard and turned his back from the Z-warriors. "Tch! Fine."

Krillin shook his head. "He's all talk."

Yamcha shrugged his shoulders. "Seriously! I don't get why he has to act all tough whereas he's gonna lose anyway."

The Z-warriors then noticed Bardock standing up from the boulder. "Huh?"

Bardock was looking intently at Vegeta and it appeared to be that Vegeta was staring at him, too.

Piccolo crossed his arms. _"…if only there's a way Bardock can somehow surpass Vegeta, but how? Isn't he already at full power?"_

Piccolo then looked up at the skies. _"Goku…"_

Meanwhile, at Kame House, Bulma and the others were still waiting what was going to happen next to their fellow friends.

"They're still standing there, waiting. I wonder what's going on," Bulma said.

"Beats me," Chi-Chi said. "If I ever had the chance, I would've went there and bring Gohan some snacks or something. Maybe even better, take him with me so my boy won't have to face this kind of danger."

"Oh, lighten up, Chi-Chi!" Bulma told her. "Your son, Gohan, is a pretty strong kid. I mean, you've seen him fight just a moment ago. He's just like Goku!"

Chi-Chi sighed heavily. "Ugh, I don't know…"

Oolong and Puar were looking at Baba's crystal ball.

"So you have any idea what they're waiting for?" Oolong asked.

Puar instantly had an idea. "It's obvious, isn't? They're waiting for Goku!"

Master Roshi agreed with him. "That's right, Puar! But I wonder where he is though? He's taking way too long…I hope he comes as soon as possible."

As for Goku, while he continued to sprint and fly full speed, he spotted a small building up ahead. He instantly realized it was the check-in station. He had finally made it! "All right! I'm here! Now to go full speed!"

At Kami's Lookout, while Kami and Mr. Popo were still anxiously waiting for Goku's arrival, Kami instantly felt the presence of Goku. "He's here! Goku's here! He's now at the check-in station!"

"Quick, Kami! Go get him before it's too late!" Popo cried.

Kami instantly disappeared to pick up Goku.

At King Kai's planet, King Kai had been tracking down Goku all along and he was also relieved to know that he made it. "Good! He's finally there! Now head for the Saiyans, Goku!"

Goku went inside the check-in station and as soon he did, he saw Kami waiting for him.

"Kami!" Goku yelled.

"Here, grab my hand!" Kami ordered and Goku did what he told him to. They instantly teleported back to Earth.

King Yemma sat in awe with a bunch of documents in his hands. "Wow, Goku traveled along Snake Way completely. I thought he would be long gone. He's no ordinary human, that's for sure."

"…"

_Beep, beep!_

The Z-fighters heard this. They turned to Vegeta and Nappa.

"Three hours are up," Vegeta stood up and put his scouter on the ground. "So Kakarot decided to let you all die at once. That's a pity."

Yamcha growled. "Oh no! I thought he would make it in time!"

"_Why isn't he here yet?"_ Piccolo thought to himself.

Nappa chuckled. "Hah, hah! You see? I told you he'll be afraid to come here and fight."

Gohan stepped up once again and yelled, "Don't say that! My dad's the bravest! He'll get here very soon!"

Krillin agreed. "Yeah! And once he gets here, he'll be way more powerful than you two. He never abandons his friends like this."

Nappa just spat on the ground. He then stared at his armored chest for a while, which had been already partially damaged by Gohan and Raditz's power. Even though his armor was giving him slightly a rough time moving around, he may still need it for further protection.

"Tch! If it weren't for that little runt and Raditz," he growled to himself, remembering how their powers suddenly peaked for a split second and were able to give him a considerable amount of damage.

Raditz walked towards and stood beside Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, and Yamcha. He told them, "All right, so remember the plan. Krillin, Yamcha, Gohan, get his attention towards you three. Piccolo, you and I go with a surprise attack once Nappa's fully distracted. Once we get the first attack on him, the rest of our attacks should follow."

"Easier said than done," Yamcha said with some doubt. "Are you sure it's gonna work?"

"It will. I've known Nappa for a long time now," Raditz was positive. "I know his weakness…," he then looked up and thought about his younger brother. _"Well, Kakarot, we'll continue to wait for you. In the meantime, we'll hold them off to the best we can!"_

Kami had teleported back to his lookout along with Goku. Finally, Goku was back to Earth.

"Thanks a lot, Kami. Now I have a world to save. See ya!" Goku waved.

"Careful, Goku," Kami told him.

Popo nodded. "Do your best."

Goku then flew away from Kami's Lookout. He soared in mid-air and there, he called out for Korin.

Korin showed himself from his tower and said, "Man! That Goku is one wild fighter!" he was impressed by the fact that he could cover 10,000 miles of Snake Way, forth and back, in just a short amount of time. He was one impressive warrior.

"Korin, can you hear me?!" Goku shouted.

"Yeah, I can!" Korin yelled back.

"Listen, I need some Senzu Beans for the fight!" Goku yelled.

"Right!" Korin got some from his bag and threw the Senzu Beans at Goku. "These are the last two! Catch!"

"Got them!" Goku successfully caught the beans. "Thanks, Korin!"

"Good luck, Goku!" Korin wished him luck.

Goku then ate one Senzu Bean. It quickly took effect and it brought his energy back up to one-hundred percent. "Yeah! Much better! Now my body's fully rejuvenated!"

He then called out his magical, golden cloud, Nimbus. Nimbus instantly came to him.

Goku rode on the cloud. "Hey, it's been a long time, Nimbus. It's time for action!" while riding, his senses quickly picked out clusters of large energies from a far distance. "I can sense them. I'm coming, guys! Nimbus, go!"

The cloud obeyed his orders and it went full speed. Goku was now prepared to take on his hardest challenge ever.

At the battlefield, Nappa stood in front of Raditz, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, and Gohan. Nappa cracked his knuckles and instantly prepared in his fighting stance.

"Thanks to the three-hour rest, I'm completely rejuvenated now! I guarantee you that you all are gonna die by my hands this time," Nappa declared with a wicked sneer.

Yamcha and the rest of his companions prepared in their fighting stances, too. Yamcha told him, "We'll just see about that. Let's go!"

Bardock and Vegeta had been staring at each other. Instantly, they both disappeared and they reappeared up in the skies. They faced each other.

"It's time to start the next round." Vegeta told him, powering up and his body was surrounded by his own aura. "I promise. I won't be as lenient as before. Don't think that you can still help your friends this time. You know what would happen if you do."

Bardock briefly looked up at the skies, his red bandanna flying with the winds. He can sense that somewhere out there, his youngest son was coming.

"Hmph, what are you staring at?" Vegeta asked him.

Bardock did not answer him. He looked at him again and grinned this time. "Enough talk," he fixed his bandanna and went to his fighting stance. Instantly, Bardock powered-up and he was engulfed in his own aura as well. "Give me all you got."


	32. Racing against Time

Episode 32

Racing against Time

"Here I go! RARGH!" Nappa took the initiative and charged towards the Z-warriors at full speed.

"Go!" Piccolo gave the signal.

Nappa, while charging towards them, drew both of his arms back and fired two energy blasts. All at once, the Z-warriors evaded them and they blasted the ground instead. The clouds of smoke briefly blurred Nappa's vision. He tried to search for his opponents.

Nappa growled. "Quit hiding. I know you're around here somewhere-"

"Over here!" cried a voice.

"Huh?!" Nappa turned around.

From behind, Yamcha took flight and immediately side-kicked his back, crushing him to the ground. Nappa quickly regained his balance and was back on his two feet. He tried to give Yamcha a straight punch to his face until Krillin came and side-kicked his side this time, blowing him away to the right side.

From the other side, Gohan was waiting for his turn. The half-Saiyan saw Nappa coming to him fast. The child bent his arms to his waist.

"Here it goes!" he gave himself some encouragement.

Just about Nappa regained consciousness, Gohan took this chance to barrage him with quick punches on his stomach.

Nappa did not feel much pain, but he was furious letting himself get off-guarded by the Z-warriors.

Gohan was about to go for a high front kick to propel Nappa into the skies where Raditz and Piccolo were readying for a surprise attack on the oafish, brute Saiyan warrior until Nappa immediately regained his concentration again.

"You little runt! Rargh!" Nappa suddenly grabbed Gohan by the head.

"Augh!" Gohan was stopped dead in his tracks. Nappa's hand was able to fit around the child's head, giving him the opportunity to crush his skull in just a split second if he wanted to.

"Bwah, hah, hah!" Nappa laughed with pride. "What's the matter, you punk? You're a Saiyan! Fight back!" he asked him while he enjoyed seeing the pain he was enduring.

Gohan wanted to cry out for help, but he could not find his voice.

The rest of the Z-fighters clearly saw this and they tried to pinch in to help.

Raditz especially saw this. He bit his lip and cried out, "Let him go, Nappa!" he dashed towards him at full speed.

"Here's your punishment for trying to make a fool out of me earlier! Now, time to die!" Nappa was about to finish Gohan on his own until suddenly, Gohan opened his eyes wide. The moment Nappa saw his pupils, he thought for a second they glowed red with anger.

"Hyah!" with great strength, Gohan suddenly broke free from Nappa's grasp.

"What?!" Nappa was shocked.

Gohan ducked down in order for his opponent to let go. When he bent down with his two knees, Gohan's right hand began to light up in his own aura. With no hesitations, Gohan gave a soaring dragon uppercut to Nappa's chin, sending him up to the skies.

"Amazing! Whoo hoo!" Krillin cheered.

"He _is_ the son of Goku after all. Go, Gohan!" Yamcha cheered as well.

Even Raditz and Piccolo were fully surprised to see how Gohan had improved so much. Him being able to land a powerful blow to Nappa and inflicting him some damage, it only meant that Gohan's one-year training was all worth it.

Gohan looked at his uncle and mentor. "Uncle Raditz! Piccolo! Now's your chance!"

"Now that's what I like to hear, Gohan!" Piccolo told him. He quickly readied for his "Explosive Demon Wave." He placed his right hand in front of him while his left hand placed on his right arm. He gathered an immense amount of energy.

Raditz smiled at his nephew's huge improvement and braveness. He had definitely changed since last time.

Nappa furiously growled, wondering why a small child like Gohan could inflict so much damage to him. After all, he was half-Saiyan, but letting him beat an elite like him, Nappa will not allow that. When Nappa stopped from getting himself blown away, making a short screech in the skies, Raditz suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Hyah!" Raditz gave a straight punch at his former comrade's face, almost breaking his nose. Nappa's head jerked back in pain while he was propelled closer to Piccolo.

That was when Piccolo's Explosive Demon Wave was discharged from his palm. A gigantic beam of golden energy headed straight towards Nappa, engulfing him with pain. After that, it woke a huge explosion.

"All right!" Yamcha and Krillin cheered.

At Kame House, everyone was enthusiastic to know that they were gaining the upper-hand finally.

"Yeah!" Oolong, Puar, and Turtle cheered.

"It's over now!" Master Roshi said. "You should all give me credit for that. After all, I trained some of them. Heh, heh!"

Bulma found herself looking at Yamcha's face more and more. "Oh Yamcha...," she sighed with relief.

Ox-King was holding Chi-Chi's shoulders. "Did you see that, Chi-Chi? Your son's finally becoming a true warrior!"

Chi-Chi though looked very shocked. To see her son fighting like this was making her feel more worried. "My-my son! Did he just-how did he do it?!"

Ox-King tried to calm her down. "Now, now, Chi-Chi, it's going to be okay. Remember, Gohan and the rest of our friends are trying to save the Earth! Don't forget that."

Chi-Chi only bit her lip. She felt she could go into a panic attack in any second now.

Fortuneteller Baba though was quite focused on Bardock and Vegeta's fight. "Hmm...that fighter over there...he seems to be having a rough time," she observed.

"You mean Bardock?" Master Roshi noticed. "...it's unusual. And I thought Bardock's one of the strongest aside from Goku..."

Bulma noticed this, too. "Will he be okay?"

"He will be. I think it's a good thing that Bardock's keeping the other Saiyan away from the rest of our friends," Roshi said. "I feel that the other Saiyan's stronger than anyone in the battlefield."

Master Roshi then looked up at the ceiling. _"Goku, wherever you are, you need to hurry. Your friends need you. There's isn't much time."_

Bardock and Vegeta were going hand-to-hand, fist-to-fist. Suddenly, Vegeta was able to land a good, clean punch on Bardock's chest. He used this chance to blow him away more by grabbing a hold of his neck and attempting to crush him to the ground.

"Here's a little present for you!" Vegeta's left hand began to electrify and was about to land a powerful energy blast at his face.

"You-!" Bardock, despite of Vegeta choking him, suddenly grabbed his left hand and presented the Saiyan elite with a crushing head-butt to his forehead. The pain vibrated through his skull that it almost bled his forehead.

Bardock then charged up after his enemy had let go of him. He dashed towards him and gave a superb knee strike to his chin, creating a flash and a spark to show how strong and how unpredictable Bardock could be.

Vegeta was pulled back again from fighting, but then he slowly stared back at Bardock. He moved his neck a few times from side-to-side. He smirked with pride.

"A nice counter indeed," Vegeta said, "but you know you have to do better than that to stop me."

Bardock noticed that there was not a single shed of blood anywhere on Vegeta yet; just some light scratches and bruises here and there. He was beginning to worry again. Bardock must be honest with himself. He cannot keep up with the Saiyan Prince for long.

However, he had to show that he was not going to back down too easily. It was not in a Saiyan's inner will to give up. Bardock lightly smirked too. "Heh, heh. Well, Prince, you still have some fight left in you."

Vegeta laughed. "Hah, hah! I should be telling that to you. I'm surprised that you can still stand even now. Whenever are you going to give up though? Defeat will be presented to you sooner than you think."

Bardock growled under his breath. He then suddenly looked up at the skies.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "What are you...? ...oh, I see. You're still waiting for Kakarot, aren't you? Hah! Keep on dreaming, Bardock. He'll never come and if he did, he won't stand a chance against Nappa and I. Kakarot doing secret training on his own? No matter how hard he trains, there'll always be something in common amongst you, Kakarot, and Raditz, and that's you will always be low-class. You can never surpass an elite."

It was either Bardock was not paying attention or another thought was bothering him so that the Saiyan Prince's insulting speech was blocked out from his ears. Vegeta carefully observed Bardock's face and realized that he seemed...frightened.

"Hmph, what's with that look?" Vegeta asked.

Bardock did not hear him. Only, he turned his head and stared at the Z-fighters particularly Yamcha and Piccolo.

_"That vision...it's coming again!" _Bardock anxiously declared in his mind.

Once more, he saw that same vision of two people drenched in their own blood, smiling upon a child who was drenched in his own tears.

When that vision ended, Bardock was now seen trembling. "No, no...! I need to change it. I need to-!"

"Change?" Vegeta wondered what he meant by that. "Change what?!" he spat.

As if he had forgotten about his battle with Vegeta, Bardock raced towards to the Z-warriors as fast as he could. Vegeta was left bewildered at first. Then, he realized what he was doing. He was annoyed and instantly followed him at full speed.

"You idiot! How dare you run away from our fight!" shouted Vegeta.

It appeared to be that Bardock was faster than before that Vegeta could almost not keep up with him. This only made him angrier. Finally, Vegeta consumed some of his energy by using "Super Dash." He abruptly teleported in front of Bardock, blocking his path, making Bardock stopped as well.

"Rrrgh!" Bardock growled.

"I loathe people who just run away from me when I'm not done settling business with them yet especially if it's coming from a low-class scum like you!" without warning, Vegeta attacked Bardock with a striking elbow strike, leaving a surge of his fearsome aura behind.

"AUGH!" Bardock was pushed back and was fully distracted.

Then finally, Vegeta gave a driving punch to his stomach, almost shattering Bardock's armor. If he wanted to, he would have destroyed his armor already, but why would the Saiyan Prince consume so much energy on someone who was only a minor problem to him?

Bardock held his stomach and groaned in deep pain.

"That's my punishment for you for trying to postpone our battle," Vegeta told him. "Remember, Bardock, I'm not going to let you save your pitiful friends."

Bardock slowly glared into the prince's dangerous eyes, his teeth clenched, his anger rising again.

"Now!" Vegeta flew towards him, preparing for another attack.

Bardock bent his arms to his waist and tried to lock-on onto his opponent as quickly as he could despite of the current pain he was given that attempted to drain his concentration. "Darn you! Outta of my way!"

"You'll never be able to help out your friends! You're stuck fighting me!" Vegeta roared.

Once again, the two fearless Saiyans were engaged in a blows crash. They moved in an unbelievable speed, they were shockwaves emitting from their bodies as well as their clashing auras.

On the grounds of the Earth where the other Z-fighters stood, there was still a cloud of dust blocking everyone's view. Nappa, unfortunately, continued to stand, but his Saiyan armor was done even more significant damage. Now, his other shoulder plate was cut off thanks to the Z-warriors' teamwork and Piccolo's Explosive Demon Wave.

Nappa growled angrily. "You-why-why you all!"

Everyone's confidence had heightened up. Nappa was once again letting his anger get through his head.

Raditz suddenly flew towards Nappa at full speed while shouting to everyone, "Don't stop from here! Keep on attacking!"

Nappa's anger though, which was getting into him, suddenly appeared like was feigned after all when he menacingly grinned at Raditz.

"You're a complete fool, Raditz!" Nappa told him, his eyes shining, his pupils were power-hungry.

Raditz knew that facial expression before. It only meant death was about to knock on their doorstep again, ready to claim another person's life. Raditz needed to change his course of action. Immediately, he disappeared and reappeared behind Nappa to fully catch him off-guard. He was about to give him an exploding roundhouse kick until Nappa turned around and grabbed a hold of his leg.

"What?!" Raditz yelled.

"Rargh!" Nappa mercilessly crushed Raditz entirely on the ground, making a crater on the soil with a few particles flying out of it. Raditz thought his back just broke, but thankfully, it did not. This was how overpowering Nappa could be.

"Raditz!" Krillin shouted.

"Hold on!" Piccolo rushed towards Nappa.

"You monster!" Yamcha yelled as he rushed towards Nappa, too.

"Hmm," Nappa continued to smirk. "Ya'll are in a hurry to die, huh?"

Piccolo and Yamcha then teamed up together and tried to barrage Nappa with punches and kicks at full power and will without holding back. Shockingly though, Nappa was easily evading their moves like they were nothing.

"Hah, hah!" Nappa laughed. "This is fun!"

"Kyah!" together, Piccolo and Yamcha went for a full-powered punch, but Nappa grabbed both of their fists with his very own hands. The two fighters were clearly shaking from shock. It was as if Nappa's fighting energy was back to one-hundred percent or maybe he was concentrating more like what Vegeta had highly told him to do in order for him to gain his upper-hand in battles; or maybe he had another plan up in his sleeves.

Nappa strongly grabbed Piccolo's arm and threw him against Yamcha. Both of the fighters collided with each other and they collapsed against a low-leveled canyon, hurting their bodies.

Gohan was rushing towards his uncle. He was conscious, thank goodness, but he was trembling with pain. "Uncle Raditz, are you all right?!"

Raditz did not answer him. He grunted in pain as he tried to get up. He opened an eye and glared at Nappa. "How-how did he-"

"Hey, don't go dying on me yet, Namekian!" Nappa told Piccolo since he still needed for him to live to tell him and Vegeta were the DragonBalls were. "I'm just having fun here," he was having too much entertainment in beating his enemies into a pulp. It had always been his habit.

He was about to give them a more beating until he had forgotten about Krillin. Krillin had his right hand raised up, prepared to fire a Destructo Disk move.

"Eat this!" Krillin yelled.

The Destructo Disk was released. It spun and it flew towards Nappa.

Nappa, overlooking the fact that this technique was very lethal, faced the razor-sharp disk with high confidence. "So you wanna play catch, huh? So be it!"

Krillin hoped his overconfidence will get to him and that will end Nappa's terror once and for all.

Vegeta and Bardock's blows crash resulted into Bardock draining his energy too much that the Saiyan Prince was able to win it. The Saiyan elite was seen then beating up Bardock by constantly landing punches and jabs on his face and body, draining more of his energy by inflicting him damage and making him feel what true pain and misery was like. His fight with Bardock though did not make him forget about the Z-warriors' battle against Nappa. Vegeta quickly saw the hovering disk flying towards Nappa in a full open range. Vegeta knew how dangerous that disk could be, but it seemed like his companion could not see the bigger picture.

Bardock tried to counter with a swift, yet explosive sidekick, but he missed. Vegeta teleported behind his enemy and knee struck him as hard as he could. Bardock, once again, felt the pain swallowing his body whole. He was stopped once more.

Vegeta took this opportunity to warn his companion. "Nappa, get out of there now! That attack's dangerous!"

"Huh?" Nappa heard him. With only little time left to spare, he evaded the disk, but barely. It cut his right cheek and it hurt badly. The Destructo Disk moved on and it instead sliced off another canyon in the background and disappeared afterwards.

"What the?" Nappa turned around and just realized how dangerous Krillin's attack was. It clearly showed.

Krillin cursed under his breath. "Shoot! I almost had him! If it weren't for that Vegeta!" the monk warrior quickly looked at Bardock and realized he was in trouble. "Oh no, Bardock, he doesn't look good."

Vegeta shook his head in pure disappointment. "Didn't I tell you to use your head, Nappa? If it weren't for me, that thing could've sliced you in half already."

Nappa felt the blood running on his cheek. Now, he was feeling angry once again. More rage burnt within him. "I can't believe this! You-you cut me! Now you die!"

Nappa was about to end Krillin with an overwhelming energy blast combined with both of his power and rage. He told him, "See if you can dodge this one, midget!"

Krillin was frozen and he did not know what to do.

When Vegeta turned his focus back at Bardock, he realized he was standing in front of him, breathing heavily.

"Indeed, you're no ordinary low-class," Vegeta told him, "but I guess you've already reached the limits of your powers, don't you think?"

Bardock growled. "Don't try to mock me!"

Once again, the two were locked in a never-ending combat.

Nappa was about to fire until Piccolo and Yamcha intruded in.

"What?!" Nappa realized, wondering they could still stand.

Piccolo held Nappa from behind and locked both of his arms, trying to crush his neck. He knee-struck him twice on the back and powerfully kicked him, sending him up to the skies.

Nappa was then stopped by Yamcha. Yamcha delivered a sidekick to his chest, the same spot where Raditz landed his full-forced, sheering punch against his armor plate that broke it. Nappa felt his bruise turning into a bloody wound.

Raditz was still down on the ground, but he was slowly getting up. Gohan looked at him with worry to see the condition his uncle was in.

"Uncle, are you okay?" asked Gohan.

"I'm okay, Gohan," Raditz assured him. "That Nappa...how did he suddenly get so strong?"

Raditz fully stood up. He saw Yamcha now confronting Nappa. Raditz tried to walk, but felt a sharp prick in his forehead, stopping him for a while.

"Uncle?" Gohan asked.

"I have to stop him!" Raditz shook the headache off of his head and he dashed towards Nappa.

Meanwhile, Yamcha and Nappa were briefly talking to each other.

"Hmph," Nappa gave a serious look and said, "Y'know, I'm pretty impressed that you and your friends can still stand 'till now. I've never met any fighters like you who still have the will to fight in my lifetime."

"Didn't I just tell you not to underestimate our powers?" Yamcha questioned him seriously. "I'll still won't let you get away from you've done to Tien and Chiaotzu!"

Nappa chuckled. "So, what are you gonna do about it? Haven't you realized it already? Even if you think you're all winning, you're all turning the tables, gaining the upper-hand or whatever, you're actually losing," he intimidated him.

Yamcha, this time, was in rage. His blue and white aura appeared and began to envelop him. He was gathering an immense amount of power.

All the Z-fighters were watching this. They sensed Yamcha's power increasing little by little.

At the other side of the battlefield, Vegeta was heading towards Bardock, readying for another attack until Bardock fired a quick energy blast. Vegeta simply deflected it with his right hand until he saw Bardock coming to him with great speed. He drew his right hand back, preparing for a raging punch. Unfortunately, Vegeta moved his head to avoid it. He tried to counter with an uppercut to his stomach, but Bardock disappeared in the blink of an eye. Vegeta looked up to see Bardock had moved away from him a bit farther, his entire body beneath the sun, but he knew that someone like him would not back off so easily.

Bardock drew his right arm back once again, and this time, he gathered enough energy to launch a Full Power Energy Wave. His right hand began to blink in luminous lights.

"Die!" Bardock shouted, discharging the wave of blue, soaring beam straight at the Prince of all Saiyans.

Vegeta only chuckled. He raised his defense a little and grabbed the beam with his very own two hands, not giving a slight sign that he was tiring out.

Bardock endeavored though to somehow inflict some damage on his enemy. He remembered the vision he had. He must change the future whatever the costs were...or was the inevitable really impossible to stop?

Yamcha had reached his full power. His aura surrounding him danced wildly. He then brought his hands together.

"We'll never let you win!" Yamcha yelled without fear. "Even if we were to die, that'll not stop from us from trying to fight for what's right!"

Raditz was just some feet away before nearing closer to Nappa. He realized that his former companion was not intimidated by anything; not even by Yamcha's words of a true fighter. Raditz suddenly glimpsed of a kind of power that he did not expect from Nappa. He saw Nappa's right hand, his fingers lighting up with some kind of dangerous energy.

Raditz's eyes opened wide. "No, no! Yamcha, everyone, get out of there!"

"Huh?" Piccolo and Krillin wondered what he meant by that.

Yamcha did not hear him rather he was more focused on defeating Nappa once and for all. Yamcha's eyes were deeply in full concentration like the eyes of a stalking wolf. His eyes then gave a shine, preparing for his ultimate technique.

"Take this! Wolf Fang Fist!" he bellowed with great strength.

Nappa was prepared to take on his attack. His right hand began to glow and spark even more.

"Nappa!" Raditz yelled, trying to divert his attention towards him instead.

Vegeta was still guarding Bardock's Full Power Energy Wave. The Saiyan Prince knew what Nappa was planning all along. Nappa was saving up some of his energy for a sneaky surprise attack on his own, but he will not be able to accomplish it if Raditz was in the way. Instantly, Vegeta had a plan. He used Bardock's Full Power Energy Wave and deflected it towards Raditz, immediately catching him off-guard.

"What the?" Bardock noticed this. "Raditz, look out!"

"What?" Raditz saw the beam quickly whirling to him as if it was about to engulf him. Not having enough time to counter-back or deflect it, he moved away instead, the energy wave colliding with the ground and creating a huge explosion.

Krillin and Gohan almost fell back from the impact.

At this time, Yamcha charged towards Nappa with great speed and power. "RARGH!" his hands glowed and shone in bright lights. An illusion of a fearless wolf appeared right beside Yamcha to show that he was not afraid of anything.

Nappa stood there in great defense and once Yamcha's technique hit him, it instantly shattered his Saiyan armor into pieces, exposing his top torso. Shards like glass flew in different directions, forcing Piccolo and Raditz to protect themselves from the broken armor pieces.

Just before Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist went into greater lengths, Nappa instantly stopped him by grabbing both of his hands.

Yamcha was in great shock. No one would have been able to anticipate that kind of haste. He thought he had given his enemy a great deal amount of pain, but seeing the look on his face, he was wrong.

"You've made the biggest mistake, fool! Kyah!" Nappa used his glowing right hand to throw a severe, frightening punch to Yamcha's face.

"AUGH!" Yamcha screamed in pain and he completely lost focus. He instantly crashed to the ground, beside Gohan who was terribly frightened to see this.

"Yamcha!" yelled Krillin, Piccolo, and Raditz.

"How foolish can you guys get?!" Nappa soared higher up into the skies until there was some distance amongst them. That was when his right hand peaked at its highest energy. "You scums only gave me enough time to prepare for one of my most ultimate techniques!"

From where Krillin and Gohan stood, the ground beneath them began to tremble and light up with dangerous rays coming out from the cracks. To Piccolo and Raditz who were floating in the skies, they could feel the scorching heat coming out from those rays. They were meant to bring them full pain.

Bardock was breathing heavily. His fatigue was getting into him, he felt he could faint. Bardock's head then began to ache again as that vision passed once more. He was getting angrier that even though these visions clearly showed to him what was going to happen in the future, he felt he cannot stop them as if he cannot change the future at all no matter how hard he tried, as if these visions were more like a curse to him instead that will haunt him for days...

"But I need to try! I must save them!" Bardock set aside his fight with Vegeta once again. All he cared about was saving his friends this time.

Alas, Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, was too intelligent to predict this happening. He dashed even faster than Bardock could. He blocked his path once more.

Vegeta clasped his hands together and yelled at him, "It's too late to save your friends' worthless lives! HYAH!" the full force of his blow instantly stopped Bardock from his tracks. Bardock instead was hurled towards the ground and made a huge collision, breaking the ground with dust and particles flying off.

The Saiyan Prince just smirked at his opponent with great pride.

As for Nappa, in no time, he raised his index and middle fingers together. He quickly put his right arm to the left side of his now exposed chest. The ground began to tremble even more while the dangerous rays of heat reached their peak.

"It's too late now!" Nappa declared.

Piccolo knew there was no stopping this fiend now. He warned everyone. "Guys, take cover!"

Piccolo and Raditz crossed their arms in defense while Krillin jumped out of the way, as far as he could before Nappa finished his attack. Gohan though was frozen entirely. This was all too much for him. The fear in his head struck him again with terror.

"A-aah!" Gohan cried out.

"Gohan, you have to get out of there!" Piccolo warned him.

Raditz yelled at his nephew. "Gohan!"

Yamcha opened an eye to see the trembling child with his innocent-like eyes. He may be a great fighter, but after all, he was just a kid. Yamcha did not want who was someone as innocent, young, and kind as him to be caught into such a predicament like this especially if he was someone who was the son of Goku.

Using the last ounce of his strength, Yamcha quickly stood up and shielded Gohan into his arms from Nappa's awakening explosion. "Gohan!" Yamcha shouted.

_BOOM!_

As soon as Nappa moved his right arm back to the right side, his "Blazing Storm" unleashed huge, exploding trails of dynamite, firework-like energy waves from the ground, making up the most terrifying earthquake and a huge deal amount of damage to everyone in the battlefield.

Vegeta simply watched this sight. The blazing lights dispersed everywhere, casting some shadows over his face. "Hah, hah...those worthless fools."

The Blazing Storm caught everyone in a trance of scorching rays. The entire place was engulfed by Nappa's overwhelming attack.

Bardock was weakly lying on the ground. He had no idea what was going on out there, to his friends, to his son and grandson. He thought for sure he could save the future this time, but...was he just too weak?

For once, Bardock began to doubt the whole situation they were currently in.

Bardock groaned in pain. "...n-no..."

The Blazing Storm soon vanished into thin air. All it left this time was a ten-foot pit on the ground where the Blazing Storm woke. There was smoke coming out from it. It was like bottomless; no one could see what was down there.

"Huh," Nappa wiped his nose and smirked.

Piccolo and Raditz were still floating in air, but their clothes and armor were quite tattered now thanks to the rays that burned the ground and almost severely injured them. In addition, they had a few open wounds on their bodies.

Raditz's scouter had completely malfunctioned and it was destroyed. The remaining of its pieces was on the ground, giving off its last life before it shut down. There was a streak of blood on Raditz's forehead also when his scouter exploded. The blood slowly ran down on his face.

"His power level," Raditz began, panting heavily, "...it just increased all of a sudden; too... much...how? How...?! ...h-huh?"

Raditz looked on the ground. He spotted Krillin who managed to escape from Nappa's Blazing Storm, but his clothes were in tatters, too. He was holding his right arm in great pain.

"Ngh! He's so str-strong!" Krillin bit his lip.

Raditz began to worry where Yamcha and Gohan could have been. Raditz instantly landed on the ground and tried to search for them. He soon saw them a few feet away from the ten-foot pit that Nappa made on the ground. Raditz saw Gohan crawling underneath from Yamcha's arms. Gohan was safe as well, but he had some open wounds on his body, too. His white headband had also disappeared from the explosion of the Blazing Storm.

But Yamcha was in dire straits. Raditz grew horrified to see Yamcha's back all bloodied. He was drenched in his own deep, red blood.

When Gohan looked at Yamcha, he shook greatly. "Ya-Yamcha! Are you okay?! Oh no!"

Piccolo landed on the ground with his two feet. He was as equally as shocked as the rest. "My gosh...what kind of enemies are we dealing with?" to the Namekian, a Saiyan's power still remained a great mystery to him. What other kinds of strengths...other _dangerous_ strengths a Saiyan could withhold?

All at once, Krillin, Piccolo, and Raditz ran to their fellow ally along with Gohan who appeared he was going to cry. Actually, a tear or two already came out from his eyes.

"Yamcha!" Krillin knelt beside him. He shook his very best friend. "Can you hear us, Yamcha? Please, speak to us!"

There was silent that seemed almost unending, it disturbed everyone. Then, Yamcha suddenly spoke, but he strained to utter a word. "Kri-Krillin? Piccolo? Ra-Raditz? Please, tell me...is Gohan okay?"

"He's all right! He's right here!" Krillin answered him worriedly.

Yamcha slowly turned his head and saw Gohan kneeling down beside him. He felt his small hands on his shoulders. His small hands were trembling.

"I'm glad...ngh!" Yamcha groaned in pain.

Raditz knelt down beside him as well. "Yamcha, are you-?"

"I'm sorry, guys," Yamcha began to apologize. "I couldn't afford to lose anyone of us anymore, but I guess...it has taken a toll on me instead."

"Don't speak too much! You're making it harder for yourself!" Krillin warned him.

"Gohan," Yamcha suddenly began.

"W-what is it?" Gohan trembled.

"Your father, Goku, has done so much to save his friends from any kind of danger; risking his own life just to protect us," Yamcha broke in-between words. "That's why I decided to return the favor. I would feel ashamed if I were just to care about my own life instead of others'. Gohan, your father's great. He's the most powerful warrior on Earth. And you're the son of Goku. Don't forget that, Gohan," he told him.

Gohan continued to shake. "O-of course. I won't forget that, Yamcha, bu-but look at you! You're really hurt!"

"I-I'm okay, Gohan," Yamcha tried to give him a smile of reassurance. "Don't worry about me. I feel f-fine."

Nappa and Vegeta continued to watch this. Surely, this only gave the two ruthless Saiyans more joy inside of them; to see their opponents fall one by one and to witness the misery and gloom they were showing.

Despite the great fatigue and pain Yamcha was feeling, he sensed a familiar energy far distances away from here. He clenched his fists. "Li-listen! I-I could feel Goku coming...! I could sense him!"

"What?" Krillin was surprised. He tried to feel out Goku's life force himself. Indeed, he felt him coming. "I-I could sense him, too!"

Piccolo stared at the blue skies. "He's finally coming..."

"Kakarot," Raditz said in a whisper.

Gohan felt happy. "I knew it! My daddy's really coming back!"

Krillin felt some relief in him. "All right! Hang in there, Yamcha. Goku's coming! I bet he has some Senzu Beans with him to cure you instantly. Just-...huh?"

Yamcha was smiling as well, but he felt it will be too late to even see Goku take a step into this battlefield and show everyone the new power he achieved from the afterlife; although, Yamcha was very confident that victory will be granted to them soon. They just needed more time.

Yamcha will never lose faith in that.

"Piccolo, Raditz, Gohan, Krillin," Yamcha began. "I'm counting on you all to carry on from here. Just keep on fighting. Don't ever give up! I'm sure Tien and Chiaotzu would've also wanted the same from you all."

Yamcha then slowly looked at them one by one. Truly, they were more than just his friends. They were his family. "You guys are the best. Tell Goku...that I thank him..."

Time was too fast to even anticipate what was going to happen to him. Soon, Yamcha slowly closed his eyes. His body was now relaxed. His life...had faded. He left Earth with a smile on his face.

"Huh? Yamcha?" Krillin shook him one more time, but this time, he did not wake. "Ya-Yamcha? No, no, Yamcha! Yamcha! Wake up!"

Gohan could not say a word. He bit his lips and shook his head in great despair. One of the very best friends of his father had sacrificed himself just so Gohan could keep on living. "Yamcha...oh no..."

Goku's mind became alerted. While he was flying with Nimbus as fast as he could, he felt someone's power level had instantly decreased down to zero. "No, it can't be! Someone's...hold on, guys! I'm coming!"

With more persistence in his blazing heart, he and Nimbus even went faster to race against time.

At Kame House, everyone was grieving over of what happened to Yamcha.

Puar felt he could cry. "Oh, Yamcha! Don't die!" with too much pressure, stress, and now misery and sadness, Puar just fainted onto Oolong.

"Oh, Puar!" Oolong tried to wake him up.

Chi-Chi was very much devastated. "Yamcha...," she then looked out of the window and thought about Goku. _"Oh, Goku, hurry! Your friends need you! Our son needs you!"_

Master Roshi, Baba, Turtle, and Ox-King kept their heads down for another friend of theirs had fallen.

Bulma was especially crying. She bit her lips. She wished that she was there with him at his final moment, to forgive him for what he had done, especially now that she knew Yamcha was fighting for everyone's lives, for the Earth, for everyone's safety.

Bulma could not take these tears any longer. She let them all out. "Yamcha! No!"

Piccolo and Raditz instantly fell silent. They had to lose another ally, but his memorable speech will remain forever in all of their hearts. Piccolo began to realize that Goku's friends were more than just his friends. Like Yamcha what just said, they were a part of his family.

Bardock was still lying on the ground, the pain binding him like chains that did not allow him to move even a muscle, but he clearly sensed Yamcha's life force had gone down to zero. "No, Yamcha...," all he could do now was to apologize. "I'm...I'm sorry..."

Krillin denied the fact that his best friend was gone, but this was the painful reality. He could not take it any longer. "YAMCHA! NO!" he screamed to the entire world.


	33. A Burst of Fighting Power!

Episode 33

A Burst of Fighting Power!

The sky felt ominous and even more tensed. One by one, the members of Earth's Special Forces were falling. They wondered; if one of them became another victim of their enemies' hands, who will it be this time?

Krillin, with tears in his eyes, sobbing that his best friend Yamcha was long gone, slowly looked at Piccolo, Raditz, and then Gohan. He then tried to look for Bardock and he was surprised to see him on the ground, severely weakened. He was struggling to get up.

Krillin then stared into Nappa's heartless eyes. His Saiyan armor was gone thanks to Yamcha's tremendous, full-powered Wolf Fang Fist, but the Saiyan himself kept on standing.

The lifeless Yamcha still had a smile on his face.

Krillin felt anger rising within him, but it was not something that would just explode and make him go into a blind rage. It was more of determination to avenge his friend's death as well as two more.

"Rest in peace, Yamcha," Krillin slowly let go of him. He stood up and fearlessly faced Nappa. He held a fist in front of him. "You'll soon pay for what you've done to Yamcha including Tien and Chiaotzu. You'll not get away with this!"

Nappa just smirked. "So the bald midget's back to his senses? Or maybe he and his pitiful friends' had already lost them since the beginning?" he joked to himself.

Raditz, who was just terrified by what he had seen, just fell to his knees, his eyes still locked onto Yamcha's injured, dead body. He was beginning to feel great guilt again. Once more, he thought this was his entire fault. With all this improved power he trained for and achieved throughout this one year, should he not be stronger? No, unfortunately, because Nappa was still standing as he continued to carry a terrible amount of might in him, enough to allow himself to keep on fighting for a long time. To make matters worse, if the Z-warriors somehow beat Nappa, they will have to face Vegeta next.

Raditz was truly trembling. He just could not believe this.

"Now!" Krillin suddenly yelled.

Everyone turned his attention to him.

Without further delay, Krillin opted to give Nappa what he deserved. Krillin bent his arms, his hands forming visible energy. "You will _not_ get away with this! HYAH!" he opted to give his Scattering Bullet technique another go. He launched a large energy sphere to skies, aiming it directly at Nappa.

Nappa calmly stared at it, believing it posed no trouble to him. "Hah! Getting desperate, huh? One lousy energy ball ain't gonna cut it!"

When the monk warrior heard his arrogance, he was brought into more determination than ever to end Nappa's terror once and for all, no matter what it took. Krillin was maneuvering his energy sphere in the skies with his hands. He placed his palms facing the ground, commanding it to strike down at Nappa.

"Heh, heh," Nappa was ready to cancel it as soon it was an inch away from him, but the attack took an alternative course of action that he did not intend for it to do. "What?"

"HYAH!" Krillin yelled once more. His attack split into smaller, numerous energy bullets with equal power and speed. They instantly caught Nappa off-guard, blocking his every escape-way and barraging him with a considerable amount of damage.

"Augh! Why you-!" Nappa crossed his arms in defense to lessen the impact of Krillin's clever attack.

Krillin's Scattering Bullet endeavored to bring its enemy down in seconds like fast-moving meteors crashing onto surface. The energy bullets released explosions, produced light quakes and smoke everywhere.

Vegeta saw this and gave a look. He felt slightly irritated. "That fool..."

Krillin panted a little since he put quite a large deal of effort on that attack, but he did not stop there. This time, he went to his fighting stance, levitated from the ground, and darted at full speed towards their monstrous opponent. He could not see him, but he could sense him despite of the cloud of dust everywhere.

"Kyah!" Krillin gave a battle yell to further extend his power.

Nappa already had new scratches on his body. With no armor to protect him, he might just be more vulnerable to any kind of attack now. He tried looking for Krillin. It was too late to detect him though for Krillin just appeared in front of him. He instantly delivered an exploding sidekick to his cheek, blowing Nappa away to the side.

"What?" even Vegeta was surprised to see this.

Taking this chance to follow-up with a chain combo rush, Krillin followed Nappa and began to barrage the Saiyan with multiples of punches on his stomach and chest, trying to give him new injuries and re-injuring old wounds to further decrease his defense power. Nappa was fully distracted and he could not concentrate.

Piccolo thought this was the perfect time to join in the fight. He told Raditz and his student, "C'mon, we need to help him!" without further delay, the Namekian flew towards Nappa at an incredible velocity.

As for the half-Saiyan, he was a little hesitant to go because he was seeing his uncle still staring down at Yamcha's deceased body with a look in Raditz's eyes containing fear and remorse. He terribly felt useless, that he was of no help.

"Uncle Raditz?" Gohan tried to get him back to reality.

However, Raditz did not say anything.

Krillin went for an uppercut, sending Nappa into the clouds. He was about to give him a powerful, damaging end to his assault until Piccolo appeared above.

"Huh? Piccolo!" Krillin exclaimed.

"Rargh!" Piccolo quickly gave a knife-hand strike to Nappa's neck, hoping to paralyze him. Piccolo used this chance to beat him with various kicks and punches. At the end, he went for a tremendous stomp to Nappa's stomach, sending him back to the ground.

"Let's finish it, Piccolo!" Krillin exclaimed.

Piccolo and Krillin teamed-up. From the skies, Piccolo dashed towards Nappa. From the ground, Krillin dashed towards their enemy, too. They were about to conclude this battle until Nappa suddenly regained his focus.

"Rrrgh!" Nappa growled. Before the two Z-warriors reacted to this, the brute warrior grabbed them simultaneously by their necks with surprising haste, almost choking them to death.

"No! Mr. Piccolo! Krillin!" Gohan yelled for them.

That was when Raditz snapped back to reality. He just realized that there was no time to languish or grieve over of what happened to Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu. He quickly remembered Yamcha telling to him and his companions that they must keep on fighting no matter what happens. Every second counted and wasting time will only invite the unwanted end. The remaining Z-warriors must hold off their enemies until Goku arrives.

With alertness and rage intensifying in his eyes, Raditz instantly disappeared and teleported in front of Nappa who was busy torturing Piccolo and Krillin to his heart's content.

"Raditz?!" Nappa did not expect him.

Raditz drew his fist back and, with intense power, sent a forceful punch to his cheek, sending Nappa away and forcing him to let go of Krillin and Piccolo.

Krillin and Piccolo held their necks as they coughed briefly.

"He-hey, th-thanks, Raditz," Krillin opened an eye and lightly smiled.

Nappa slid on the ground, the weight on his legs from sliding left bruises on them. "Darn you, Raditz," he cursed.

Vegeta was not happy to see this. He realized that his loyal comrade was putting himself at risk in failing to win this fight again.

Gohan quickly flew to Piccolo, Raditz, and Krillin. "Are you guys okay?" he asked them.

"We're fine, kiddo," Krillin continued to keep on holding his neck.

Piccolo coughed a bit more. He looked at their opponent and said, "He's slowly getting weaker by the second. I have to give credit to Yamcha for breaking his armor."

Piccolo and the others afterwards noticed the look on Raditz's face. He was deeply serious and quiet with lingering guilt in his eyes. It was unmistakable. They knew what he was thinking, what he was feeling for the heavy weight in his heart was bringing him down.

"Hey, Raditz," Krillin said to him.

Raditz did not turn to look. He just listened.

"It's not your fault," Krillin assured him. "It's not your fault that Nappa and Vegeta came here to wreak havoc on Earth. This is just a battle...that was meant to be."

When Raditz blinked his eyes, they indicated he received his message clearly and well. He was still frowning though. There were still some residues of shame in his saddened eyes.

"Don't worry!" Krillin tried to give him and everyone hope. "Yamcha _did_ say that Goku's coming. I could definitely sense him! He _is_ coming this way, and even more powerful than ever!"

Nappa and Vegeta clearly heard this. Vegeta felt his hands fidget a little, and he did not know why.

"Who?" Nappa yelled at the Z-fighters. "Who's coming?"

"Goku," Piccolo told him, "the one we kept on talking about, but you wouldn't even pay attention to us. Hah, guess it's time when Goku's going to teach you and your worthless comrade a valuable lesson. You two should've never come to Earth," he said with a firm voice.

Nappa stood up. "Are you referring to Kakarot? You all are a bunch of liars! Where is he? I don't even see him," he hastily searched for him.

Vegeta finally landed on the ground. Keeping an eye on the weakened Bardock, Vegeta quickly grabbed his scouter that he had placed neatly on the boulder where he sat during the three-hour wait to locate Goku's energy and see if Goku's friends were actually telling the truth.

_Beep, beep!_

There was silence until Vegeta's eyes grew huge of what he had read on his scouter. "Kakarot...he _is_ coming," he almost said in a whisper.

Bardock heard his son's name being spoken by his friends' and enemies' lips. Somehow, his youngest child's name was helping him stand again from these grounds of defeat and helping him rise to more perseverance and strength of mind.

Bardock slowly stood up. He strained as he did so, but the inner will in his heart was not. "I need to keep on moving. I can't give up now. Kakarot, he's coming. I could sense him too."

Beyond the white clouds, Goku was on his way with the flying Nimbus. He was only miles away from reaching the battlefield.

"I sense a cluster of power levels," Goku said. "There are several strong ones, but...there're a few that are weakening," he gave a worried look. "I need to hurry! Nimbus, go!"

Goku and his most trusted cloud went even faster than before, the first time to go this fast than their many years spent together for this kind of situation was beyond serious.

Vegeta continued to stand at one place with his device on his left eye. He was quite baffled by what he just read from it.

Nappa noticed the look on his comrade's face. He became slightly worried. "Hey Prince, what's wrong? What did your scouter say? Are Kakarot's friends actually telling the truth? I must say that they're completely insane! Kakarot's not even that strong according to what Raditz said before."

Vegeta clenched his teeth together. He found his gloved hands curling into angry fists. In a way, he somewhat disagreed with what his scouter was indicating, but these devices never made any lies about one's combat strength.

The Saiyan Prince felt his heart racing a little. Was this just a natural feeling that another opponent was coming their way or was this the reality that this renowned Goku was carrying an unbelievable, significant power that could be enough to make major changes of the outcome of this fight?

Vegeta heard footsteps from behind. He noticed Bardock was already standing on his two legs. He was holding his right arm in pain, but there was a look in his eyes which appeared he was more determined than ever to bring him, the Prince of all Saiyans, to defeat.

No other low-class had displayed this much determination before. Normally, a low-class would have given up already to someone who was an elite especially those who came from royal bloodline.

Vegeta remembered those looks on Bardock's and Raditz's face. He realized he and his comrade here could be in trouble.

"Vegeta!" Nappa wondered why he had not said anything yet. "Tell me! Are Kakarot's friends telling the truth? Is he really coming?"

"A power level of 6,000," Vegeta suddenly said.

"No way. 6,000?" Nappa was shocked to hear this. "But Kakarot's just a low-class! Like Raditz and Bardock!"

"And considering that the people on this planet have other ways of hiding their true power level, this could be just the beginning," Vegeta continued.

Vegeta, once again, looked into Bardock's eyes. He was advancing towards him slowly. He realized that he was not even afraid. He was breathing heavily from all the pain he had underwent from the prince's very own hands, but he was still prevailing over his wounds, still walking with courage and dignity.

_"Kakarot's the son of Bardock," _Vegeta spoke in his mind. "_B__ardock's power is already at 19,000, but that's just coming from his one-year training and his near-death experience from when our home planet destroyed. But Kakarot...according to his friends, he's been training in the afterlife. Who knows what kind of...intensive training Kakarot had done? If he's preparing all this time for this battle, then...!"_

Vegeta now felt angrier. He thought that he and his comrade should have just blown up the planet instead or killed the rest of Goku's friends and family way earlier than this, even before Goku had arrived on Earth. In simplest terms, he and Nappa should have taken this as a more serious matter.

Vegeta quickly made another decision. "Nappa, I order you to kill them all! And be quick about it! Kakarot's coming, and if we let them join forces with him, then we're both are going to face something that we don't want to face. Not at this time!"

Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin felt terrified. "Huh?!"

Raditz gave a confused look.

Bardock stopped and looked directly at the Saiyan Prince. "What does he mean?" he asked.

"Kill _all_ of them? But what about the DragonBalls?" Nappa asked.

"We don't need these fools to tell us," Vegeta said and gave him an explanation. "It's all becoming clear now. I was thinking about it not too long ago. I concluded that these Namekians were the ones who created the DragonBalls. I've heard of these magical orbs before, but I always thought it was just a legend. As you might know, they're still a handful of Namekians out there in space."

Nappa was getting his point. "I see. So a Namekian's all we need to create the DragonBalls. While we were at space, didn't we just pass by Planet Namek? I bet the planet is loaded with them. And if this Namekian we have on Earth now doesn't cooperate, there's always another one that will."

The evil was stirring another greater, darker intention once more, which made the atmosphere more sinister than ever.

Raditz and Gohan felt they needed to hold off their enemies just a little bit more. They must carry on as well as survive until the end of this dangerous game until Goku's arrival.

Raditz growled silently. He could not take it any longer. Despite of reassurance from Krillin, he felt this was sort of his fault nonetheless, and so he believed he must take responsibility for it.

"No!" Raditz suddenly said. "Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, you guys stay back. I'll take on Nappa myself."

"Uncle Raditz, what are you saying?" Gohan was very worried.

"No way!" Krillin refused. "We can't let you take on Nappa yourself. Are you crazy? You need help!"

"Look," Raditz tried to explicate. "Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha have already died because of Nappa," he then slowly looked down, "and also because I was too weak to even stop him."

Gohan shook his head. "No, Uncle Raditz, don't say that. You did your best!"

Raditz stared back at Nappa. "I know, but I can't afford to lose any one of you guys. I just can't. Please," he now looked at the three with begging eyes, "just go."

"Uncle Raditz, wait!" Gohan tried to get his attention. "If you're fighting that big bully, I'll fight him too."

Raditz shook his head. "Gohan, no, you can't. Didn't I tell you?"

"Uncle, please think about it! You need our help. What if Nappa doesn't let up one bit and then attacks all of us? If we let Piccolo die, then the DragonBalls will disappear and we can't wish our friends back to life," Gohan stammered between words.

Piccolo was surprised to hear that this young boy, his own student, was trying to protect him too. He had never heard him talk like this before. "Gohan," he whispered.

Nappa approached the Z-warriors. "All right, I guess this'll be even more fun. I can now kill all of you without holding back."

Raditz moved forward, protecting Piccolo, Krillin, and his nephew from the evil clutches of Nappa. He went to his fighting stance. "Nappa, you better stay away from them. You will fight me and _only_ me."

"Tch," Nappa clicked his tongue. He just shook his head. "I've heard of that kind of talk from you like several times today. What makes you think that a low-level jerk like you is ready to beat me this time? Raditz, face it! You'll never amount to my power. Huh?"

Raditz was becoming enraged again; in fact, even more than before. More fury was aggravating inside his heart, it was starting to explode.

"What the?" Nappa saw his face. He had to admit, he did not like the way he was staring at him now.

"...I am done with you," Raditz declared almost calmly, yet one could tell he had a voice of unforgivable rage for their enemy's actions. Instantly, without second thoughts, he rushed towards him at full speed.

"Rrrgh!" Nappa snarled.

As quick as he can, Raditz went for a striking, straight punch to his chest, but Nappa was able to get a hold of his arm. The brute Nappa found himself shaking from the force of his fist that, if it were to be a perfect and finished hit, the pain would be something he will not expect from his former comrade.

"Raditz, you imbecile!" Nappa told him.

"RARGH!" Raditz went for another attack, a palm strike with his left hand this time. It did not touch Nappa, but there was a force field at the end of it, forcing him to slip back several inches.

Nappa was surprised; it was as if Raditz was gradually obtaining another kind of power from within his heart; that he only received through this feeling of rage of his and his determination to save his friends and family and this planet.

Raditz then flew to him with haste, ready to grant victory for Earth.

Vegeta witnessed this. He feared an event like this might happen. It appeared like Raditz was having the upper-hand this time. He was too distracted by the discoveries he had seen today that he completely lost track of Bardock.

"Huh?" Vegeta quickly turned around, just realizing he was not done with Bardock yet.

Indeed, the moment he locked his focus on Bardock, it was as if he sprang back to life again, ready to begin another battle of their endless number of perilous battles. Bardock dashed to him, his right arm over to the left side of his face, prepared to send him into a world of pain.

"Hyah!" Vegeta strove to increase his defense. He was able to prevent Bardock's attack just in time by blocking it with his arm, but the force of his arm that was meant to hit him on the face almost pushed him back. Vegeta saw his expression and it was also filled with fierceness and determination just like Raditz's.

_"I can't believe this. This low-class freak, why am I trembling like this?" _Vegeta asked himself. The truth could be that he was a little...afraid.

Vegeta's crimson red aura and Bardock's blazing blue aura surrounded them as they struggled to overpower one another.

Raditz tried to go for a very ravaging roundhouse kick, but Nappa stopped it just in time. Raditz was quick on his reflexes and thinking though, immediately going for his next attack. He quickly bent down and sweep-kicked him, making his foe lose balance. Just before he fell to the ground, Raditz, with quick speed, elbow struck him on the face, blowing him away in the skies again.

Raditz pursued him. He began to raise his right arm as he absorbed an immense amount of energy into his hand. A violet and white-colored energy wave blinked for a few seconds, and it formed into a sphere concentrated at the center of his palm; his hand surrounded with electrifying, purple vitality.

Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan were just standing there, watching Raditz pummel Nappa on his own. A part of them said that they should stay where they were just like Raditz told them to, but a part of them also said they should help him because it was their duty as Earth's Special Forces to save their planet from any evil and to support their family and friends in every fight.

"We won't just stand here," Piccolo proclaimed. "We'll die trying than die standing!" he then charged up and surrounded himself with his aura. He went to Raditz to help him.

Krillin followed him. "Hold on, Piccolo!"

"Wait up, you guys!" Gohan said and followed the two as well.

Raditz immediately finished generating the necessary energy to create a super-powered version of his Saturday Crush used as his finisher.

"Now die!" Raditz shouted with might.

"Hold on!" Piccolo interrupted him.

Raditz quickly glanced to his left and right to see that Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan had come. "Huh? Wait, I told you three to stay back," he said.

"No, we won't stay back," Krillin refused. "Just like we said, you need our help. Besides, friends should always stick together no matter what happens," and as he said this, he brought his hands together to prepare a Kamehameha wave.

Gohan joined in. He placed his hands on his head, readying for a Masenko. "Me too! Uncle Raditz, let's do this together!"

Piccolo just smirked as he placed his two fingers on his forehead, preparing for a Special Beam Cannon.

So this was what Goku's friends had always been; to always stick together and support each other through thick and thin until at the very end. Raditz was simply inspired by their way of words. Soon, he was quite convinced.

"Let's go for it," Raditz nodded with confidence. He just finished creating his finisher. The moment he pushed his hands forward, releasing his insurmountable, vigorous energy attack, he yelled, "Saturday Crush!"

Everyone else also released their techniques without thoughts of faltering.

Nappa had enough time to regain back his consciousness, but the moment he opened his eyes, he realized four different waves and beams were coming towards him, each with its own individual strength and specialty, but they all shared one common goal and that was to triumph over their enemy.

"AUGH!" Nappa, once again, had to cross his arms in great defense. Some, he had to dodge to reduce a greater impact of the combined attacks that Raditz and the rest intended to make.

Raditz, Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan hoped their combined techniques had stopped Nappa somehow. No one can possibly intercept or even evaded them. Once again, a huge explosion was woken in front of their view.

Raditz though kept alerted to his surroundings. "I must be careful. He could be anywhere."

He tried to search for him more, but there was no sign of him.

"Did we do it?" Krillin asked to his friends.

"I'm not so sure," Piccolo said, trying to sense out their enemy's life force.

Just before they reacted, a figure, almost as quick as lightning struck, abruptly appeared behind Krillin with a malicious grin on his face and a hungry look for more killing.

"Behind you!" Gohan warned him.

"Huh?!" Krillin turned around, but it was too late. Nappa gave a powerful punch to the monk warrior's face, hurling him towards the ground, putting him in great damage.

"Krillin!" shouted Raditz.

Nappa then went to Raditz and delivered a devastating elbow strike to his face, stopping Raditz from his tracks as well. He felt the pain. He was still more powerful than all of them combined.

Gohan was young, only a child, but he was thinking like an adult. Despite of what he had seen, that did not impede him from saving his family and friends. Gohan decided to take on Nappa.

"Get away from them, you big jerk!" the half-Saiyan cried out.

He flew towards Nappa and immediately gave a shocking sidekick kick to his face, jolting the atrocious warrior's head to the side, almost breaking his neck. Nappa was shocked to let a young child like him inflict such damage, he felt himself fuming up.

"He's so strong!" Piccolo referred to his student. "It was as if it was only yesterday he's a boy who just depended on others, but now, he's fighting like a real warrior."

Yet this was no time for analysis. Nappa frighteningly presented Gohan with a smirk, knowing he was only a kid after all. To engrave fear into that young mind of his that will simply put an end to this valor he was showing to everyone will definitely immobilize him from fighting back.

"Not bad, you half-Saiyan wit. I guess is your turn now, kid," Nappa told him. "Be prepared to feel pain from a full-blooded Saiyan!" Nappa's right hand began to gather a quick amount of energy. A strong beam was quickly formed, and he was about to hit Gohan with it.

Gohan saw this and thought he was in complete trouble. He unexpectedly froze. "Aah-aah!"

At Kame House, everyone continued to watch the battle between Vegeta and Nappa and Earth's Special Forces. Everyone panicked to see that Gohan could fall into his doom sooner than everyone in the room thought.

"Gohan, get out of there!" warned Master Roshi.

Chi-Chi was bursting endless tears. "My baby, Gohan! Somebody save him, please!"

Chi-Chi's wishes were "heard" as Gohan, before Nappa had really sent him to the gates of doom, was saved when Piccolo instantly shielded his student by delivering a sharp back-flip to Nappa's chin, jerking him back.

"Uwagh!" Nappa cried out.

"Piccolo!" Gohan was happy to see him.

"Hyah!" Piccolo charged towards their monstrous opponent by giving a focused punch to his stomach, the pain vibrating throughout his body.

"Yes!" Oolong saw this. "Piccolo saved him!"

At this time, Puar had awakened from his fainting episode. "Oh, what happened?"

"Puar, you're awake," Oolong happily said.

Bulma was still recovering from her grief over Yamcha. She then went over to the adorable cat's side. "Puar, are you all right?"

Puar, however, quickly remembered about Yamcha and the noble sacrifice he made. He was still in deep sadness just thinking about it.

Bulma tried to cheer him up. "Don't worry, Puar. I'm sure Yamcha's up there, cheering for our friends to win. We should cheer for them too."

Puar had a slight smile. "Yes, we should," the cat agreed.

Master Roshi smiled to see how Bulma and Puar were strong enough to move on quickly. He then looked back at Baba's crystal ball and said, "Piccolo has really changed, but why though?"

Ox-King smiled. "Even a person who's been bad all his or her life can change fully at heart."

"I agree," Turtle nodded.

Chi-Chi was recovering from her shock. "I can't believe this. I have to thank that green alien again for saving my child. Oh my, Gohan. I can't have him fight like this though! That's it! I'm going over there!" she immediately stood up.

Bulma said to her, "Chi-Chi, you can't. It's too dangerous!"

"But I need to do something! At least get Gohan out of this fight!" Chi-Chi said back. "Darn it, where _is_ Goku?!"

"Calm down," Fortuneteller Baba said to her. She gave her and the rest some very good news. "I could tell he's here. Goku's on his way now to the battlefield. It won't be long."

"What? Really?" Master Roshi tried to calm down. He quickly searched for Goku's energy using his senses. "Woah, you're right! Goku _is_ on his way!"

"Really? Thank goodness," Bulma felt very relieved.

"Let's just hope that Goku makes it in time though," Baba told them.

Chi-Chi clenched her fists. Despite of her trying to act tough and all, all this pressure and stress was just too much for her. She found her legs shaking from great worry. _"Goku, please..."_

Piccolo followed-up with a one-two punch at Nappa's stomach along with a turning hook kick to his face. Nappa was brought to even more damage, but alas, that did not stop him at all.

"You Namekian! I'm just so glad that I can kill you right now!" he yelled at him angrily.

Nappa quickly hit Piccolo at his stomach with a driving punch, almost ripping his skin apart. Piccolo felt blood coming out from his mouth already. Nappa was about to give him the final blow.

"No!" Gohan stepped in.

Nappa did not carry on with his attack when Gohan quickly took this opportunity to brilliantly strike him with another roundhouse kick to his face this time. The boy used up so much of his energy at this stressing moment that because of this massive increase of power-up, thanks to his powerful care and compassion towards his family and friends that he should protect them no matter what just like he promised to himself when he first began training, his leg was momentarily surrounded by his own aura, leaving a quick spark and then a white mist of his energy behind. A flash was then seen, literally sending Nappa crashing into the ground this time.

Piccolo was shocked.

Krillin immediately stood up on his two legs from the ground. He felt he just saw a different warrior from him. "Was that you, Gohan?"

Raditz had his hand rested on his face, recovering from his rival's stunning attack. He then let go of his face, revealing a shocked expression as well. "He just..."

Gohan was giving huge breaths. He used up too much of energy drive in him, his fatigue quickly got to him, putting him into an exhausted mental and physical state. He also felt a quick headache hurting his head.

Nevertheless, the child was quickly unfolding himself into a different kind of warrior that his grandfather and mentor wanted him to be.

Between Vegeta and Bardock, the Prince of all Saiyans and the lone survivor of the Saiyan race were still locked up in a struggle with Bardock's right arm against Vegeta's left arm, still endeavoring to overpower one another, but it appeared to be Bardock was steadily having the upper-hand.

Vegeta gritted his teeth when he felt his legs were about to lose balance. If he were to budge another inch, he would be crushed sooner than he thought.

This notion instantly gave way to seething rage inside of him. He will _never_ let a low-class like him triumph over a royal elite like himself.

"Rargh!" Vegeta suddenly yelled, increasing his power level in a heartbeat.

Bardock growled, now feeling that he was the one who was going to lose stability. His weariness was affecting him as well. He wanted to give up as his arms and legs were about to give out.

He must act fast.

Bardock canceled the struggle by releasing an invisible force field from his body, shoving his enemy away. Instead, he chose to give a surprising kick to his face, but Vegeta blocked it with his elbow. Both of their auras had completely vanished at this time.

Both of them were thinking what to do next. They had to think fast.

Vegeta took his turn. He held Bardock's leg and decided to crush him to the ground, but Bardock was able to break free from his grasp. He deliberately gave him a sweep-kick. He successfully caught him, yet Vegeta was able to rebound on his two feet by slapping his hands on the rocky grounds and pushing himself right back up. As he did so, he noticed Bardock charging towards him without delay and instantly gave a sparking punch to his cheek. Vegeta was able to evade this by moving his head, but barely, his fast knuckle only giving him a slight wound on his lips. And then...there was blood.

Both Vegeta and Bardock looked terribly shocked with their pupils shaking. Bardock was trembling from loads of fatigue and strain whilst Vegeta from anger and shock. The prince felt blood running down from his lips; his own blood that came from royalty! This was the first time in which someone who had lower position than him was able to truly draw blood from him.

"How did you-?!" Vegeta could not almost find his voice.

Bardock reacted by giving a more intent and alerted look. "...?!"

"How dare you-!" Vegeta nearly screamed at him.

The Saiyan Prince was able to retaliate with a fist of wrath to his face, drawing blood from Bardock this time, even more blood than before. Bardock was stopped. Then, he felt even more torture when his adversary sent an uppercut to his stomach, forcing him to spit more blood out from his mouth. Some of it fell on the ground.

"Gah! A-augh!" Bardock watched as it dripped on the floor. His eyes nearly turned white. His jaw dropped. His entire body trembled.

"How dare you draw blood from a noble!" Vegeta reprimanded him.

Bardock gasped for air. In spite of this, he startlingly did not stop there. Bardock will have to use every last remaining bit of his strength left to somehow finish Vegeta and this time, change the future because according to his visions, there was one more person who will meet the same fate as the rest of their other fallen friends. And Bardock did not want that to happen.

"Rargh!" Bardock counterattacked with an elbow strike of retribution to the elite's chest after moving away from his uppercut on his stomach.

"Ngh!" Vegeta was pushed back, but he, too, will not stop until he was certain that his enemy was down, make him vanish this time. In fact, he was sick and tired of him rising every time he fell. He swore that he will make him fall forever this time.

"You're nothing to me!" once again, Vegeta countered back with a punch to his face, inflicting nothing but more damage and torture.

Soon, the two Saiyan warriors of almost equal strength went back and forth at each other by giving an astounding, overwhelming punch or kick one at a time from the two of them, prevailing one another, to see who will falter first from this slow, yet powerful face-to-face combat.

Bardock presented a straight, power-driven punch until Vegeta got a hold of his arm. He locked it under his arms and trapped him in that position.

"Hyah!" Vegeta then used more upper strength by tripping him and then crushing him flat-faced to the grounds of the battle zone. Then, he placed his foot on his head and began to apply pressure to it with all his might. "Now, let me hear you suffer. This is what you get for trying to mess with a prince. I told you I won't be as lenient as before," he reminded him.

"A-aah!" Bardock cried out in pain.

"There's one thing you must know, Bardock," Vegeta said, slowly and slowly pressing his head more, "you may have put up quite a fight with me, but there's no guarantee that you'll win. There can only be one survivor between us," he pointed to himself. "And that'll be me: the Prince of all Saiyans! This is the pride of all Saiyans. Too bad for you and Raditz, you've gotten too soft. You've forgotten what it means to be a true Saiyan especially what it means to have pride."

While crying out in pain, Bardock knew that he was only saying this just to make show of his conceit and superiority. It was unfortunate for the prince, Bardock thought, that _he_ was someone who did not know what it meant to be a true Saiyan with true pride. Bardock was just glad that he and his son, Raditz, had changed their ways because they knew it was the right decision to make.

Abruptly, Bardock felt a sharp prick in his head. He was seeing another vision of the future again. It was that same vision, which kept him hanging in more anxiety and suspense. He questioned himself again; was he really that weak to change the future?

Both Piccolo and Gohan made a landing on the ground. Taking flight was only consuming too much of their energy. Nappa was still standing, however, but because Gohan was able to inflict a staggering and shocking amount of damage to him, perhaps there could still be a chance for the good to prevail.

Raditz remained in air though, watching as Nappa recovered from his injuries.

Krillin shook his head. "He's getting up again. C'mon, Goku!" he looked up at the skies, trying to see if he was here yet. "I know that you're out there somewhere, but you gotta hurry!"

"Hey!" Nappa suddenly interrupted.

Everyone looked at him

"Stop with all this wishing that your puny friend Kakarot's gonna come and save you all," Nappa was back on his two feet. "Even if he did come, he'll be too late as someone would've already died by that time, and I'll be that person to decide who'll die next and make it happen!"

"Oh no!" Krillin and Gohan yelled.

Raditz shook his head. He just cannot believe his former comrade here was still not giving in. Being the only one who could stand up to him now because Raditz had higher combat strength than any of his family and friends, he must stop him as soon as possible. He and his allies just needed to survive. "Rargh!" Raditz dashed to him at full speed.

His speed was incredible, it was almost impossible to anticipate this kind of rapidity. Raditz was preparing for a swift, yet rigorous punch. As quick as he can, he launched his attack, almost catching Nappa off-guard.

However, what shocked him was Nappa was able to evade his attack by moving his entire body completely to one side. Raditz's eyes widened with shock. He was wide-open to any range of attacks.

"Heh, heh, heh," Nappa chuckled evilly. With his right hand of terror, he almost clawed his chest, intending to pierce him with his own fingers of steel. Instead, it left a wound on Raditz's face, his blood flying out, making him weaker. Nappa then elbow struck him on his back, forcing him to crash to the ground face-down. Because of gravity and the short distance between Raditz and the soils of the Earth, a light quake was made.

Raditz screamed in complete pain. "AUGH!" he could not get up this time.

"Bwah, hah, hah!" Nappa laughed maliciously. "Now, I'd like to make Kakarot twice as miserable once he sees his son...dead!" he suddenly locked his eyes onto Gohan's.

"Wha-what?" Gohan backed-off.

"Yes, you!" Nappa put more fear into his heart. He charged towards him while smirking with menace, his bellowing, gloating figure of dominance casted shadows upon the young half-Saiyan.

But after what the monstrous fiend had done to his uncle, Gohan felt blistering rage burning within him again. He attempted to attack Nappa face-to-face.

"No! Hyah!" Gohan gave a battle cry.

Piccolo shook his head, knowing his student was just putting himself at risk. "Gohan, hold on!"

Gohan levitated in air and intended to use the last ounce of his remaining power left to give his strongest sidekick he could do, but it was not enough to even impede Nappa from his frenzy killing.

"Hmph!" Nappa kept on going. He suddenly grabbed Gohan by the neck and he instantly punched him on his stomach, almost destroying his body from within. Gohan weakly fell to the ground, harshly injured.

It was not too long that Nappa was already done preparing for a technique of his. He charged energy into his hand, forming a potent, pulsating white beam. His Bomber DX or another name, "Impact Bomb", was ready to devour Gohan.

Krillin struggled to fight back from the delivered pain sapping all his remaining strength that he needed to the most. He only prepared for the worse.

Raditz strained to get up, but even the slightest bit of movement, the pain tightly wrenched inside his body, binding him to ground, not allowing him to escape; only to make him suffer. All he could do was to cry out for his nephew in absolute helplessness. "GOHAN!"

Even Bardock clearly saw this happening. He somehow broke free from Vegeta's foot of might stomping his face by quickly making him lose balance. He immediately stood up on his feet again and began to race against time once more, race against the inevitable and against all the cruel events that will soon yet to come. He was entirely desperate to save his grandson this time. He ran as fast and as far as he could.

"NO!" Bardock drew his right arm back, quickly charging a blast to at least distract Nappa from releasing one of his most dangerous techniques ever.

Vegeta, unfortunately, will keep to his word, which was he will not allow Bardock to save any of his friends and family. Without any effort, the prince grabbed him from behind and locked him in that position, pulling his arms back, intending to snap his bones and making him suffer especially. "I'm not finished with you yet!"

Bardock strained to liberate himself from his clutches. His expression on his face, his desperation to get out from this, he almost looked like a child wanting to escape from a terrible and traumatizing nightmare.

"Let...GO!" Bardock demanded as he sent an unexpected, forceful elbow strike directly to Vegeta's stomach.

"Gwah!" it came as a shocker to Vegeta that he actually felt this much pain. It looked like he was going to lessen his grasp on him, but that did not stop him still. Vegeta held Bardock tighter, responding back a thousand times more pain by clutching his body until every single life in Bardock will be drawn out. "You'll not make a fool out of me. I will make you suffer for the rest of your life," Vegeta declared to him.

Piccolo watched this terrifying scene between Nappa's finisher about to determine Gohan's fate. He unconsciously reminisced his times with his student. He recalled how he was given to him after Gohan spent two months training at Kami's Lookout. When Bardock told him on that day that he and Gohan were going to be very good friends, Piccolo thought he was insane and that he was saying such things to make a mockery out of him. It was not until the final day before the Saiyans arrived did he realize what he meant. His time with Gohan training him, making an effort to bring out his full potential, his original goal was only that as well as stopping Nappa and Vegeta from conquering Earth because it was the Namekian's duty to realize that plan instead. It was not when Gohan had always endured his ill-humored temper and strict, unending lectures, had always brought out that sad smile of his, begging for him to at least take a break from training or asking to go easy on him because after all, he was only just a boy, and when he had become a blossomed, young fighter who fought like his father, Goku, sharing a common goal, mindset, and attitude, that was when Piccolo's cold heart was touched.

Gohan was the first person to ever treat him kindly no matter how long he had held this infamous reputation of his of attempt to destroy Goku and Earth before. Gohan was the first person to ever reach out to him because he believed that he can change, just like the child's uncle, Raditz.

Gohan was the first person to make him realize that there was more to life.

"Gohan!" Piccolo made a last-minute decision and decided to return the favor to him. Making the most righteous sacrifice, he headed in front of Gohan and shielded him from Nappa's impending, menacing attack.

"HYAH!" Bardock struck Vegeta's stomach another time, hoping he will let go now.

Vegeta was shocked to know that it almost came as an involuntary action for him to release Bardock from his clutches of evil.

Bardock broke free and immediately tried to save Gohan and apparently Piccolo as well. He was too late though. Fate had already decided the outcome.

Nappa saw Piccolo shielding the half-Saiyan with his arms spread, not allowing him to go any further. Soon, Nappa decided to make a last-minute decision. Instead of firing his Impact Bomb, he deliberately absorbed all of its potent energy into his hand. He then dashed towards Piccolo.

Piccolo's eyes widened. Gohan was shocked. Krillin and Raditz stared in horror.

"...G-GAH!" Piccolo's eyes then grew huge and wide.

With the combination of Nappa's Impact Bomb and his overwhelming Saiyan power, he went for a direct attack and his bloodcurdling punch mercilessly went through Piccolo's abdomen. Quick lights and rays dispersed throughout Nappa's hand, revealing the scorching pain of his technique.

Fear struck Gohan's mind again, but this time, it was accompanied by great concern for his master. "P-Piccolo...!"

The speed of the sudden dash and the potential of the attack, Piccolo was carried off and he hit his back hard against a stony canyon, his stomach was left with an awful, untreatable wound. Piccolo then fell front-faced to the ground.

Time just stopped. Everything just stopped.

Nappa was still smirking. His right hand was still engulfed with residues of his Bomber DX's power along with alien blood on his knuckles.

Vegeta did not take too long to wipe the pain away that Bardock gave to him. Then, he slowly grinned too.

"PICCOLO!" Gohan ran to his mentor immediately.

Beneath the sun, Goku and Nimbus were close to their destination. Goku quickly sensed a faint power level, nearing towards to its end.

"_Something terrible is happening! It couldn't be! No! I need to save them! Please, hold on!"_ Goku dashed in turbo, speed mode and vanished into the clouds, trying to get to the battlefield.

Gohan began shaking Piccolo, hoping he would wake. "Piccolo, wake up! Please, Piccolo. You have to move on."

Krillin pounded on the ground with his two fists. "No, it can't be."

Raditz began to shake fretfully.

"Piccolo, please!" Gohan called his name one more time.

Piccolo was still breathing, but barely. He sensed he only had a small time left in this world. At this moment, he had been meaning to say something to his student; to his greatest student ever. Slowly, he turned his neck to face him, his entire body trembling like no one had trembled before, but he continued on to say, "I'm-I'm sorry, Gohan. I failed you...I failed everyone. I can't move on much longer. It's up to you and the rest to st-stop them."

Gohan urged for him to move on even though it was clear that the unimaginable wound that Nappa gave to Piccolo was draining his life away faster than one could anticipate.

"Piccolo, my daddy will come and if he does, he'll make you feel better! Please, Piccolo, you can't give up now," Gohan begged.

Piccolo suddenly lent a chuckle. "Heh...Gohan. I know that you're only a very young boy. I feel kind of...sorry that you have to face and endure a tragedy like this, but you must stay strong. It's not over yet."

Nappa continued to grin. "Hah, I should've spared the Namekian still, but whatever. Even if I were to give him all the time in the world, he'd still refuse to tell us the location of the DragonBalls. At least I'll have some fun with the kid next."

Raditz undoubtedly heard this; as a result of these uncivilized, infuriating words of his, he was still shaking, but with a different kind of feeling.

At Kami's Lookout, since Piccolo was the other half of Kami, Kami could also feel his demise drawing near.

Mr. Popo became dead worried. "Oh no, Kami!"

Kami breathed heavily and groaned in pain. He struggled to now stand on his own two legs. He held his wooden stick tighter. "Piccolo's life force is fading and me along with it. Looks like Goku didn't make it in time yet. When we disappear from existence, so will the DragonBalls."

Kami said this as if there was no hope remaining, but he was wiser than that. He told Popo his final words concerning about the DragonBalls in Planet Namek. His words were jumping from one word to another, but he persisted to tell, "Listen! Legend tells-go-Planet Namek-find the DragonBalls. Use them-wish us back!"

Kami then began to faintly disappear from Popo's eyes.

Popo was shocked. "Kami, you can't. Don't leave!"

Piccolo felt his life quickly fading, but he must speak to Gohan more in this time of manner. "Oh, the great shame Piccolo, saving a little innocent child. You changed a lot back then. The reason why I changed my ways was because you treated me with so much kindness despite of...I was nothing but a heartless, loner back then. I changed my ways because you taught me about the goodness of life…Gohan, you're the only friend I have."

This moving, heartbreaking speech had Gohan instantly shed tears. The boy's heart was truly touched. He was glad to know that he was able to transform another being's self, but he was still frightened to see his master depart since he was one of those people whom taught him on how to become forever strong in life no matter what obstacles may come to his path. Piccolo here was not only his best teacher. He was his best friend ever.

"Piccolo, please, you have to move on," Gohan continued to beg.

"You're like a son to me," Piccolo broke even more.

Gohan's heart broke even more when he saw a smile appearing on his face as well as tears filling those eyes; eyes that were once filled with nothing but malevolence, but now filled with true goodness.

"...I'm proud of you," Piccolo smiled even more. His tears slowly ran down on his cheeks. "Goodbye, Gohan..," soon, he slowly closed his eyes with one last tear before he stopped shedding. He tilted his head to the side and soon...nothing.

Kami then faded away as well without leaving a trace behind. He said his final farewell to his most loyal, trustworthy servant and friend. "Goodbye, Mr. Popo. Remember...," he then vanished into thin-air.

Popo mourned over the Guardian of Earth. "No, Kami!"

Everyone at Kame House was surprised to see this change in Piccolo for themselves. He was a completely different being; a fully changed being. Unfortunately, he had to go away so soon. They also mourned over him.

"Piccolo," Krillin said with eyes wide with shock. "He's gone!"

Raditz and Bardock continued to tremble. For some reason, they did not utter a word. They did not make a single step forward or backward. Raditz was still on kneeling on the soil of the Earth, his knees bent, his weakened hands rested on the ground, his eyes locked intently on nothingness in front of him; his expression deep and distressed. Bardock was standing in solitude, at one place. His eyes shifted from the lifeless Piccolo and the whimpering Gohan to the horizon in front of him where his eyes saw nothing but the skies becoming darkened, being overcome by terror. Like Raditz, Bardock's expression was filled with shock and dread.

After seeing the departure of his master Gohan was transforming into that mysterious warrior again; that warrior who wielded special potential accompanied by pure rage, yet also care in his heart. He could not take it any longer. "NO!"

Vegeta's scouter reacted to the half-Saiyan's bursting power level, it left him quite bewildered. "What's this? His combat strength now is unusually high for a child like him."

"RARGH!" Gohan shrieked, almost shattering the skies like glass. He locked his burning eyes in front of Nappa's. His tears of innocence flew from his face. He gritted his teeth. He did not notice, but his blue aura became a crimson red color and it surrounded him, acting like a shield to protect him. He furiously placed his hands on his forehead and shouted with all his might. In just a split second, he gathered all of his remaining energy from his body. His hands shone in luminous, golden lights.

Nappa was laughing for a while, but not for long as soon as he realized the anger written all over Gohan's face.

Krillin opened an eye and felt Gohan had changed instantly. He wondered if it was really him or another different warrior that took over his body. It was the same exact event that happened towards the once-evil Raditz when Gohan brought all of his rage out at him. "G-Gohan?" Krillin said.

Bright energy continued to develop around Gohan's hands.

Vegeta read what was on his device. "That boy's power level's 5,000. No…the number's now over 6,000," he said. It might not sound a lot, but for a half-Saiyan like Gohan, he was carrying a significant amount of power.

"What's wrong, you runt?" Nappa taunted him. "Come on, attack me!"

It was the final straw for the young mind. His energy reached its zenith. He immediately brought his hands forward and he released a more powerful version of his Masenko. This time, the massive beam was charged with more power beyond belief with yellow electricity sparking from its overpowering surface. His "Super Masenko" was fired directly at Nappa without any given mercy.

"Masenko-HA!" Gohan screamed. His enormous energy attack flew towards Nappa at its fastest pace possible. The pure shaft of light almost blanketed Nappa in a flash. He tried to deflect it with his own right hand. Some of the energy of the attack hit him while the other ones that were deflected, they struck the background behind him instead, destroying some boulders and heavy rocks. The Super Masenko did Nappa some damage, weakening his defense to some extent. All it left him were several more scratches and open wounds on his body.

Nappa was almost shocked by the amount of power and damage the boy could bring out towards his enemies with only just pure rage as his main source of strength.

Alas, the evil continued to prevail.

Krillin closed his eyes in disbelief and shook his head. "No, it's still no use," and when he looked at Gohan again, it appeared like the unknown warrior that shadowed the child vanished into thin-air, and he was back to his original self.

Nappa just grinned more. "Heh, heh! Not bad, kid. It seems like you got a little bit of a sudden power boost there. Unfortunately, I'm still here, you half-Saiyan fool."

_Beep, beep!_

Vegeta read again his scouter's calculations on Gohan's energy level. "His power went down, a lot lower than usual. Hmph," he snorted. "Such an inexperienced fighter. He sapped all his strength. All he could do now is breathe."

Gohan knew he was unsuccessful to avenge Piccolo's death as well as the rest who had fallen victims in this most decisive battle of their lives. The young child felt he should just give up. In his mind, all he could do was to silently call out for his father. He had to know, where was he now? Was it already too late?

He just looked at Piccolo and apologized to him as well as everybody; if only he was stronger, if only a miracle could happen.

"I'm sorry," Gohan said as more tears came out from his eyes.

Nappa moved his head from side-to-side, trying to stretch his neck. "That pretty much takes care of almost everyone. All we have to do now is kill the rest, destroy this planet, and get out of here, and go to Planet Namek," he then lent a sigh. "Too bad Kakarot isn't here to witness his pitiful friends' incoming deaths."

Vegeta quickly fixed his gloves. "No time to waste. Let's just blow up this planet into space dusts."

Just before him and his ruthless comrade moved on, they suddenly heard faint grunts from Raditz, sounding as if he was whimpering softly.

Nappa looked at the shaking Raditz and began to taunt him again. "Hah! What's the matter, crybaby Raditz? Are you gonna wail and cry all your tears out? Go ahead then. After all, there's nothing you can do now!"

Vegeta raised a brow instead. His scouter reacted to Raditz's sudden behavior. The device began to calculate his power level. "What the?"

The assumption that Raditz was crying proved to be entirely false. He was not crying at all. There were no tears in his eyes. Instead, his pupils were shaking as the sentiment of...growing rage was building inside him.

The Saiyan Prince felt slightly sweaty from what he was reading on his scouter. His hands were fidgeting again. _"This is insane! These low-levels; their strengths are suddenly increasing even though they're clearly injured enough from our attacks. What's going on?!"_ Vegeta truly believed that their current wounds and injuries should impede them from doing anything now. Bardock and his son were not kidding when they said they were now changed Saiyan warriors who held extraordinary, new powers.

Vegeta's scouter, once again, picked up Bardock's sudden growing power this time. He turned to him.

Bardock continued to stand in one place, his body unmoving, yet if one would scrutinize, his fists were shaking in anger. Suddenly, he stopped trembling.

Vegeta's heart raced a little, which he did not understand the meaning for this feeling of arising nervousness. "Raditz's power is now at 9,000 and Bardock's at 20,000-wha-what?!"

Nappa heard him and was surprised. "What? How could they-?"

Without warning, it was when Raditz and Bardock had reached the fullest of their anger. Accompanied by their lingering notions that they should have been strong enough to protect their family and friends especially considering they came from a race of Saiyans, the most fearsome warriors of the entire universe, but instead, they were, by far, just proving themselves to be no match for their enemies, proving themselves to be worthless as if...

...no, these thoughts were only meant to hinder them from their number one goal. They must achieve their goal. And that was to beat the relentless Nappa and Vegeta once and for all.

"HYAH!" Raditz gave a surprising uplift from the ground using his arms. He gave a long-distance back-flip, immediately soaring into the skies, his body within the skies and shining with the sun.

Nappa looked at his target. "You're back for more, eh?"

However, this time was surprisingly different. Raditz had made a perfect landing, a fast one, and was already behind Nappa. With a battle yell to boost more of his strength, he sent an explosive kick to his side. He pitched Nappa away and making him collide to a near-by boulder.

The weakened Krillin and Gohan noticed this. They were also surprised to see this sudden, massive enhancement of power.

"Uncle Raditz? Grandpa Bardock?" Gohan asked.

"How did that happen? It's incredible. A Saiyan's strength is so unpredictable," Krillin wondered.

"You idiot! Why aren't you looking?!" Vegeta scolded his comrade for being too careless. Of course, Raditz was still nowhere close to Vegeta's power level, enabling the prince to easily see and anticipate his attack unlike Nappa whose power level was, more or less, equal now to Raditz's unlocked strength.

When Vegeta turned his focus to Bardock though, his back was still turned from him, but when he turned around and glared at him, he had a grave, solemn expression, yet his eyes showed all of his emotions: from sadness, to pain, to anger, and to hope.

"Huh?" Vegeta then saw something from his eyes, making the elite think he was hallucinating.

For just a split second, Bardock's eyes shone green.

Vegeta literally thought he was having delusions. "Wha-what?"

Too distracted after witnessing the immediate, yet mysterious color change in his eyes, Bardock took this chance to take their battle to the next level. He gave a battle cry as he exploded like his eldest son did. "RARGH!"

Vegeta was blown back from his yell as well from the invisible waves from Bardock's aura surrounding him.

Bardock did not hold back. He went ahead and did a surprising head-butt to Vegeta's forehead. He turned up the heat as he turned around a full 360 degrees and brought a scorching, high sidekick to his chin, sending the Saiyan Prince up to the skies.

"Let's do this!" Bardock said angrily, his teeth clenched together, all set to make his combination of attacks. He ascended and rushed towards him.

As for Nappa, he quickly got up. The boulder that he smashed against just demolished into pieces. He was now wondering where Raditz had gained this much power in just a short amount of time. This must be some sort of illusion, he kept repeating to himself.

Yet this was all real. Nappa spotted a tiny dot from the skies growing larger by the second until it became a full human figure. It appeared to be Raditz with his right hand drew back, ready to make a threatening blow.

"You low-level!" Nappa snarled as he, just in time, moved away from Raditz's attack. Instead, his fist hit the ground, releasing an invisible shockwave. He crumbled the ground with debris and rocks flying off. Nappa's eyes widened to see the unexpected intensity of his attack.

In a slow motion action, Raditz shifted his eyes to Nappa's, glaring at him with the fiercest look no one had ever seen. The blood ran more from Raditz's cheek thanks to the "claw strike" Nappa gave him earlier.

Raditz hastily made a palm strike with his left hand, hitting Nappa's right shoulder. After a turn, he kicked him in air and sent the brute warrior to the skies.

Nappa's temper was really getting into him this time. He could not take this any longer. How ever he gained this massive boost of power, whether from his heart's own will or from the constant support of his allies, whatever his reason was, Nappa will never allow himself to be prevailed over by someone who had a lower status than him.

"I have enough of you!" Nappa instantly fired an energy blast, but Raditz disappeared before it even hit him. "Huh? Where'd you go?!"

"Over here!" Raditz caught his attention.

Shortly after Nappa turned around, he noticed him bending his legs a little in air with his right leg commencing to glow in bright, violet-colored energy. In addition, visible, crescent-shaped energy waves were being absorbed into his right leg, combining with his aura.

"Now perish!" Raditz demanded.

In just a flash, he used incredible acceleration to dash above Nappa, his back turned from him with his right leg lifted up and glowing more of concentrated dynamism. He was prepared to make him feel the pain of his "Black Monday" technique.

"Hragh!" Nappa tried to evade this, but it was already too late.

With maximum speed, Raditz turned fully in front and unleashed an overwhelming, falling axe kick to Nappa's face, almost smashing his cranium and jaw bone. His axe kick left a vertical streak of his cosmic-like aura behind. He then lifted his right leg once again as he gathered more power into it. With another full turn, he circled around while delivering an astounding hook kick this time to the chest of his opponent. Once more, his violet aura dramatically went with the flawless movement of his right leg, leaving a surge of aura behind that surrounded the two warriors.

"GWAH!" Nappa was blown back and was about to make a huge fall on the ground. Raditz pursued after him, determined to win this battle.

For Vegeta, he easily stopped himself from getting blown away any further, but soon realized that the long survivor of the Saiyan race was coming towards him fast, he had little time to react.

"Hyah!" Bardock opted to go for a "Dragon Rush" on him. He went for an elbow strike straight to his chest followed with a diagonal, driving punch, hitting from his left shoulder to right side of his waist. Bardock went for a flurry of combos and at the end, propelled him away with another punch.

Bardock charged up to keep his defense, stamina, speed, and power to their levels he wanted them to be. He did not want them to waver yet.

He moved forward and did another combination of moves on Vegeta. He was about to give him his next effort of action until surprisingly, Vegeta canceled his rush combo by grabbing his leg that attempted to inflict pain to his stomach's side.

"You'll not make a fool out of me!" Vegeta almost roared.

Vegeta was about to break his knee cap by giving it an elbow strike until Bardock shockingly broke free from his grasps with no effort. He rapidly used his signature move. With his right hand, he drew it forward and released an unexpected outbreak of energy wave and airstream which wreaked some damage on Vegeta and pushed him back.

Bardock charged up once more to end this. He rushed towards him, flew up high, and did his "Flash Spirit" move. He gave an impeccable punch along with a flawless sweep kick to his abdomen. After Bardock revolved in air subsequent to the attacks he made, his right hand began to immediately light up with white and blue energy. "I won't let you win! Farewell forever!" he then formed an immediate Full Power Energy Wave and blasted it towards the Saiyan Prince, completing his Flash Spirit technique.

Nappa used flight to regain his balance in air, but it was already too late for Raditz had landed a strong elbow strike to his back. Before Nappa bashed into the floor, Raditz had already gotten below him, in which he carried out a strong back-flip that streaked his entire upper body.

Raditz flew backward, his hair flying against the wind behind him. From that moment, he gathered enough power from his left hand. A white light was generated and its rays dispersed all over.

"Be gone!" as one of his ultimate finishers, Raditz discharged a vast, intense beam with white and black lightning surrounding the beam. It headed towards Nappa.

At the same time, Nappa and Vegeta came in contact with their enemies' strong, energy-driven attacks, leaving a huge explosion afterwards.

Raditz and Bardock breathed heavily. Once their minds were more relaxed, all of a sudden, their inner energies drained fully, almost down to none. This emotion of anger that just exploded within them and almost controlled them in a way, which gave them these serious increased levels of power, instantly disappeared, but the intensity of it remained blazing in their fatigued eyes.

"It's over. No more of this," Bardock said, continuing to breathe heavily. His whole body was perspiring. He felt he was going to have a headache for days.

Once Raditz resurfaced on the ground, he abruptly fell to his knees. He tried to catch his breath. His anger disappeared and all he could feel now were his arms and legs, falling under from soreness and exhaustion.

Krillin slowly stood up after recovering from Nappa's attacks. He was shocked to witness that explosive fight. "All this time, I thought Raditz and Bardock was no match for our enemies, but for some reason, they were able to now. What just happened?"

Gohan gulped hard. He then approached Krillin and asked if he was okay.

"I'm fine, Gohan," Krillin smiled, "but did you see that?"

Gohan nodded. "I saw everything. I wonder how in the world Uncle Raditz and Grandpa Bardock had suddenly won as if a miracle just happened."

"Maybe it _is_ a miracle," Krillin told him.

At Kame House, everyone was able to see the battle Raditz and Bardock had started and ended against their foes. They, too, also wondered how they immediately granted victory theirs.

Master Roshi's sunglasses shone. "It's obvious, isn't? After witnessing the deaths of Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Piccolo, somehow, this gave them more willpower to end this all-out war once and for all."

Turtle nodded. "It's all about the power that comes from your friends and family, isn't it?"

"It doesn't matter how they did it," Oolong said. "The good thing is that those two creeps are gone! Whoo!" he began to cheer.

Ox-King cheered also. "I'm so glad! Now the Earth's saved!"

Chi-Chi heaved a large sigh. "My Gohan's all right."

Puar, who was still recovering from grieving over Yamcha's death, began to smile a little. "I commend all our friends for saving Earth."

Fortuneteller Baba joined in with their small celebration, but there was still something that bothered her. "Yes, that's true, but there's only one problem left. Piccolo has died, who's the counterpart of Kami, which means Kami should've died, too; therefore, there's no more DragonBalls since he's the one who created them."

"What?!" cried Oolong in disbelief. "Then, how we're supposed to wish our friends back if the DragonBalls are gone?!"

Master Roshi felt gloomy again. "She's right. I almost forgot about that. To tell you honestly, I really don't know..."

The atmosphere around Kame House fell in misery once more.

Puar was about to cry again, thinking Yamcha will be gone forever. The rest also felt distressed while some were growing more frustrated that more problems should continue to linger including these times when everyone thought peace had returned.

Bulma suddenly stood up. "But there should be some other way to revive our friends back! We just...we just need to think of something!"

Everyone looked at her. They admired her faith, but as of right now, was it that time to just accept the reality?

At the quiet battlefield, Krillin was chuckling softly, feeling relieved that Raditz and Bardock had defeated the evil Saiyans. "Heh, they did it after all. I knew they can beat those guys."

Gohan smiled softly.

Raditz was still on his knees, trying to catch his breath until Bardock came to him. He did not notice his father already beside him until he lent his hand to his son.

Raditz looked up to his hand and then to his father. Raditz then feebly grabbed his palm and Bardock helped him stand on his exhausted legs. Bardock then softly touched his shoulder.

"Father," Raditz said.

Bardock simply nodded. "You did well, Son."

His eldest gave a low sigh. He was too worn-out that he wanted to take a very long nap. At least now, his heart felt liberation at last. "I'm glad that we finally defeated them. It was not easy," he spoke softly.

"It was _not_ at all," Bardock agreed, "although we all learned something and that's to never give up even though you're on the verge of doing so."

Raditz smiled again, agreeing with that statement.

"In fact, even though our battle with Nappa and Vegeta was very tough, it was a battle to learn from," Bardock smirked. "It was quite exciting in a way."

"'Exciting'? Father, how could you say that in a time like this?" Raditz asked him seriously. What about their friends who just died by their opponents' hands? That was surely not exciting.

Bardock realized he was not being emotionally-sensitive that much. He uncomfortably grinned and looked away. "I'm sorry, Son. Guess my Saiyan passion for fighting still lies within me. I didn't really mean to say it. But tell me...you felt that feeling too. Didn't you?" he looked back at him.

Raditz thought about it. He could not help but feel the same way. "...I have to admit. I mean, we're Saiyans after all."

Bardock folded his arms and displayed a serious look. "Though fighting has nothing to do with my family tree. Other Saiyans may fight just to make fun of others or take other people's lives, claiming they're only trying to 'enhance', 'better' their skills, or whatever their given reasons were. For _my_ family, we only fight if needed to protect our family and friends."

Raditz remained quiet. He remembered him saying that before when he was a child. He said that a whole lot.

"You guys!" Krillin began to sprint towards Bardock and Raditz.

Gohan was tagging along. "Uncle! Grandpa!"

They approached them with smiles on their faces.

"Bardock, Raditz, you guys are amazing!" Krillin said. "I could've never replicated what you guys did. You guys are absolutely terrific. Have you been doing some secret training without letting Kami know about it?"

Bardock and Raditz just laughed in response.

"Grandpa, Uncle, I'm so happy," Gohan expressed. "You two finally beat Nappa and Vegeta. I thought we would never win."

"Hey, have some faith," Bardock quickly ruffled his grandson's hair.

"Well, Goku won't need to do extra work when he gets here," Krillin said. "All we have to do is to clean up the mess those two Saiyans left," he then sighed heavily. "Our friends...," he now said quietly this time.

"Don't mourn," Raditz said. "Remember what Nappa and Vegeta said about Planet Namek having another set of DragonBalls?"

"Oh yeah!" Krillin quickly remembered, "now that you mentioned it. I can't believe that there's another planet with another set of them with these so-called Namekians having the talent to create such magical orbs."

Just before anyone said anything or moved on from the incident, another different laughter was heard from a distance. It was quite faint, but it brought tension in the atmosphere yet again.

Krillin and Gohan tried to pick up that sound. To their great devastation and disbelief, Bardock and Raditz could already tell who they were, and this came as an extremely bad sign to them; a terrible omen to begin with. The two turned to where they thought they "blew up" their enemies. They happened to see them standing side-by-side with smirks on their faces.

Even everyone at Kame House, who also had high hopes that Vegeta and Nappa were finally destroyed, was brought to hopelessness. Their optimism was shattered.

"It's-it's them!" Krillin cried out.

Vegeta and Nappa remained standing. Nappa was all grinning while Vegeta showing a solemn expression.

Bardock growled angrily as he stared at their indestructible nightmares. "I can't believe this!"

Vegeta's scouter turned on and it quickly read Bardock's and Raditz's power level. "Their power levels had gone back down, even lower than they started out with. Hmph, what fools. They just wasted all their energy for nothing."

"Heh, heh! So Vegeta, they're really getting on our nerves. Shall we kill them this time?" Nappa asked his companion.

Vegeta slowly placed his arms to his waist and bent them. His stance could only mean he was ready to take this battle to a final conclusion. "If that's the only way to shut them up, then we will."

"Oh no, what do we do?!" Gohan asked with fright.

"What's with this?" Krillin said with so much worry. "After all that effort, why they're still here?!"

Vegeta and Nappa quickly powered-up, letting themselves be engulfed in their own auras.

Bardock and Raditz quickly positioned to their fighting stances. Bardock then warned Krillin and Gohan, "You two get outta here now! Raditz and I will settle this."

"Grandpa Bardock, you and Uncle Raditz can't do this. You're too hurt!" Gohan insisted.

Bardock including Raditz did not hear his pleas. Instead, they vanished the same time Nappa and Vegeta did. They left no trace behind. When they reappeared, the tables were turning once more and this time, it could be permanent.

"Stop, you guys!" Krillin tried to warn them, anxious that their fatigue might lead them to their downfalls quicker than they thought.

"Hyah!" Bardock clasped his hands together and hammered Vegeta with a strong blow to the head, sending him to the ground.

_THUMP!_

Vegeta, however, flawlessly made a perfect landing without any kind of imbalance or any sign of limitation. He just grinned. "Heh."

Bardock charged at full speed to do an immediate, fast sidekick to his side, but Vegeta was able to evade it without trying. Bardock continued to lock-on onto his opponent though. He instead slid backwards with his feet, making a light gash on his legs from too much heat and pressure.

Just before Bardock managed his next move, he realized that Vegeta just came near his face. With full power and might, Vegeta did a set of combos on him and at the end, an uppercut was delivered to Bardock's stomach. At this time, pain consumed him, his fatigue reaching to a point he was too low on energy. He could not fight back this time.

"AUGH!" Bardock slid on the ground and lied there, almost knocked-out.

Raditz and Nappa dashed towards to one another, releasing a combination of attacks on each other with various punches and kicks, but towards the end, when their fists were about to meet, Nappa was just faster than last time, managing to land a severe punch on Raditz's cheek, blowing him away.

Raditz immediately fell to the ground, too powerless to even move a muscle. He breathed very heavily, trying to gasp for oxygen, but with all the internal and external injuries he was now undergoing, he was finding it hard to breathe this time.

"A-augh! N-ngh!" he coughed in pain.

'No, what do we do?" Krillin worriedly asked.

Gohan was beginning to feel angry again. "I can't take this anymore. I'm gonna go help them!"

"Wait, Gohan!" Krillin tried to stop him.

Gohan sprinted towards Nappa, catching his attention. The brute warrior turned to face him with a gloating stare. Gohan lifted himself in air to ready for a stunning punch to his cheek. He successfully did it, but with little effect given that Gohan was still completely out of energy.

"Heh, heh. Hyah!" Nappa then grabbed his little arm, almost crushing it, and knee struck his stomach.

Gohan instantly felt the pain. He was stopped in his tracks. He held his stomach to get rid of it, but it remained there for a long time.

Krillin ran towards Nappa and Vegeta, firing rapid energy blasts, hoping to distract them at least. However, both of the Saiyan elites deflected all his blasts without the slightest effort, making them hit the boulders and canyons of the battlefield instead.

Vegeta stared at Krillin with darkened eyes. "You're really testing my authority," without warning, he fired a blazing energy blast at Krillin, catching him off-guard, making his clothes tattered and making him suffer more. He screamed in pain and he, too, fell on the ground.

Bardock and Raditz heard Gohan's and Krillin's painful cries. They were feeling helpless now, now that they could not do anything at this point. They knew they had failed all of their family and friends, their promises broken, and their main objective thrown away and defeated.

Vegeta turned his focus back to Bardock. He noticed him persisting to stand. Bardock turned slowly to his left side, using his shaking, wounded hands to lift himself up from these grounds of defeat. This angered Vegeta; therefore, he stomped his chest with his right foot, keeping Bardock steady in that position, lying helplessly on the ground with no one to help him.

For a while, the Saiyan Prince stared at him. Even though he may have defeated Bardock at last, the very first low-level who could actually survive this long with an elite, Vegeta could not stop thinking about that one-second occurrence of when Bardock's eyes shone green. Again, was this some sort of hallucination? Was Bardock...actually hiding a greater power that no one else in the battlefield knew he was carrying? Was he even aware of this power, whatever it was? Did it mean anything?

_"...!" _then, Vegeta just remembered, and this put him into more rage. _"No, it couldn't be. I've heard stories of it before when I was a kid, about a legend of a Saiyan who possessed an unbelievable amount of power that made him change in appearance. He was able to destroy everything around him, the planet itself, but unfortunately, he destroyed himself too for the power he carried was too much. Is it really true? Is there really a slight, possible chance that Bardock could actually be a...no, it can't be! He's only a low-class! There's no way!"_

He did not like this belief he had because it could be true after all. He absolutely despised it; therefore, he will just have to kill Bardock himself.

"You'll never surpass me in strength; not even your pitiful two sons, Raditz and Kakarot," Vegeta declared.

He stomped onto Bardock's chest once more and was about to finish him off.

Nappa was also ready to eliminate Raditz; however, like the always oafish, taunting warrior he was, he first wanted to put an end to Gohan's life so he could make Raditz and Goku twice as miserable, so miserable that they will be paralyzed for their rest of their lives.

Gohan bit his lip, struggling to keep on going, but this time, he could not. He slowly looked up with the most fearful look a child could give. Even with all the best effort and courage he showed, this was all too much for him. Gohan just wished his father would come. He just wished a miracle would happen.

"Daddy," Gohan faltered.

Nappa wiped his upper lip. "A half-Saiyan breed like you has given me quite some fun, but I'm afraid it's time for you to be sent to the Otherworld, kid!" he lifted his foot and was about to crush Gohan on his own.

Gohan frightfully closed his eyes and braced himself.

Raditz tried to reach his hand out for his nephew. He must protect him, but he was just too far to even touch him. "N-no! Please!" he said as loud as he could.

Krillin weakly looked up. "Raditz, Bardock, Gohan, no!"

Bardock trembled more, regretting that he should have been strong enough to change the future.

"HYAH!" Nappa yelled.

_Fwish!_

_THUMP!_

As Nappa set his foot on the ground, which created a large dent on it as well as some fissures coming out of it, he immediately sensed there was something wrong. There was nothing on the sole of his foot. As Nappa looked down, he realized that Gohan was gone.

"Huh? Hold on a sec, where'd he go?" Nappa said as he searched for the young boy.

Vegeta was as confused as Nappa was. He thought he had Bardock now in his own hands for him to meet his cruelest demise, but he vanished also. The prince quickly searched for him. Did he somehow become invisible? Did his speed just suddenly increased, allowing him to escape death once more?

It was not until that Vegeta noticed Gohan sitting on top of a...golden cloud?

Nappa's jaw almost dropped. "How the heck did this happen?"

"...what's that cloud?" Vegeta questioned.

Gohan thought that he was dead, but when he opened an eye, he realized this familiar kind cloud that he was sitting upon on. "What? Nimbus?"

_Beep, beep, beep!_

Vegeta's scouter then indicated to him some very important information, and to his eyes, he will soon find shocking as well. He slowly turned around, stared above, and from there, saw a man who looked identical to Bardock. In fact, that man was now carrying the weakened Bardock around his shoulder, saving him just in time before he befell victim to Vegeta's hands.

Vegeta's eyes grew wide. The Z-warriors were not fooling around at all.

The man descended from the skies. He took the weakened Bardock to a boulder and had his back lain against it. Bardock grunted in pain. He then opened an eye, wanting to know who just saved him.

"Are you okay?" asked the man.

When Bardock laid his eyes upon him, he felt his heart racing not from nervousness, but from excitement. He shook as he spoke. "Y-you are...!"

Krillin weakly lifted his head to see what was going on. He was also shocked. "He-he finally made it in time!"

Raditz also saw the man and just looking at the man had him instinctively gain some of his energy back for the person he was seeing was someone he was looking forward to see for a straight year. He whispered, "...Ka-Kakarot."

"Goku!" cheered Krillin.

Gohan felt tears of joy coming from his eyes. He laughed happily. "It's Daddy!"

...Goku had finally arrived.


	34. New Power

Episode 34

New Power

**Disclaimer: We don't really exactly know what Bardock's age is, but in _my_ opinion, I think he's in his late-fifty's. To hop along with my thoughts, let's say he was married in his early-twenty's (maybe 22(?)), had Raditz and then had Goku when Raditz was a teenager (perhaps when he was 14 or 15), and then it was 20 years later after the destruction of the Saiyans' home planet (Goku was born on the day of their home planet's destruction which occurred several hours later after he was born), plus a year extra when Nappa and Vegeta arrived on Earth. So if we add up those years, Bardock should hit in his late-fifty's then.**

**I'm actually thinking about this for a while now and this is the theory that I came up with. Again, this is what _I_ believe Bardock's age to be. If you don't really agree, then that's all right. We all have our different opinions/theories. When you come across Bardock's line mentioning about his age to Goku as you read this chapter, just pretend and insert any number you want to put in there as his age.**

**Thank you and enjoy!**

"Goku!" everyone at Kame House was happy and excited to see him.

"He's back!" cried Oolong, Turtle, and Puar.

Baba chuckled. "My, he's really changed since the last time I saw him."

Bulma cheered. "Yeah, Goku!"

Ox-King held his daughter's shoulders. "What do you think of that, Chi-Chi? He's finally here."

Chi-Chi wondered at first what in the world Goku took him so long, but then realized that he must have had a hard time in trying to get to Earth. He must have prepared so intensively for this upcoming battle so he can save his friends, family, and Earth. She sighed. "...Goku, please keep everyone safe. Keep our son safe."

Master Roshi, as well as everyone else, had their hopes high again. The Turtle Hermit cried out, "Now, Goku! Teach those two evil Saiyans a lesson!"

At the battlefield where the Z-warriors and the Saiyans fought, where blood and sacrifices had been shed, where an all-out war between good and evil were clashing at each other, Goku stood in stillness, unmoving, his newly gained power lying within him, quietly flowing and subtle.

Goku fixated his eyes on Nappa and Vegeta, feeling out their energy levels and evil auras invisibly surrounding them. Then, he noticed Yamcha's and Piccolo's dead bodies. He wondered where Tien and Chiaotzu were, and he soon quickly came to the conclusion that they, too, fell victim on their enemies' hands.

There was a great moment of silence. Gohan and Krillin were more than happy to see Goku while Bardock and Raditz were surprised to see him in this new kind of state perhaps no other Saiyan had reached. His power was different and out of the ordinary.

Vegeta took a step forward. Goku immediately turned his focus on him.

Vegeta grinned with pride. "Welcome, Kakarot. You've finally came. To be honest, I never thought you'd show up. It's unfortunate that some of your other friends had fallen into their own dooms. If only you were here way earlier, probably they'd still be alive," his words though only meant to provoke him.

Goku did not say anything. It was unnecessary to talk at a time like this towards his enemies unless he had to.

"Not much of words, huh, Kakarot?" asked Vegeta. "Your arrival is when the real battle commences. We're getting too bored shutting up these companions of yours over and over again though…Raditz and Bardock proved to be quite a match for us. I have to admit, they're really no ordinary low-class like you."

Goku knew that Bardock was just behind him, still resting to regain some of his strength back. At the corner of Goku's eyes, he noticed Raditz standing, looking at him the whole time.

Vegeta then folded his arms. "But they're still nowhere near our strengths."

Goku did not comment. Instead, he walked towards Piccolo in silence, ignoring the royal Saiyan. Vegeta's eyes followed him as he moved, wondering why he had not said anything yet.

Goku noticed the terminal gash on his abdomen. It was a wound that stole his life away.

"Piccolo," Goku whispered. He could already tell by just feeling out the last bit of small energy left in his dead body, which will soon fade away in time, he had completely changed into a good being. Him being able to change, standing alongside the Z-fighters to fight for their planet, and dying with great honor and dignity, it was enough evidence his heart had transformed.

Gohan was still lying on top of Nimbus. He told his father about the cause of Piccolo's death. "Daddy, Mr. Piccolo was protecting me. He died while he shielded me from the Saiyans."

Goku looked at his son in a serious manner. He then turned his focus to Yamcha who also met the same fate. His eyes widened to see his scarred and bloody back. This prevailing, fatal wound was the cause of his death. "Yamcha..."

Nappa laughed hysterically and decided to provoke Goku more by acting all sarcastic on him. "Hah, hah! Sorry 'bout some of your friends. They provided me some entertainment, but too bad they have to die so soon. They were too weak, that's what."

Goku now stared at Nappa. Goku's eyes were wide with restraint anger.

"Yep, I took them all at once," Nappa continued to aggravate him. "The hand-puppet and the third-eye freak decided to sacrifice themselves for nothing! I purged them with my super strength and soon, the two became nothing but dusts. Hah, hah! Raditz here was too stubborn trying to save all of his friends even though it's already clear to him that he was still way out of his league to beat me."

Goku knew he was talking about Tien and Chiaotzu, but to hear him call his friends these insulting names greatly infuriated him. As for Raditz, upon hearing Nappa's words suggesting that he was weak, Raditz was brought to anger again. Goku felt his feelings. He quickly looked at him, seeing how his hands were curling up into fists, his weary eyes now looking straight at the ground. However, what Goku felt from him was not explosive, blind rage. He was angry because Raditz believed that if only he was stronger, he would have saved his other friends.

Goku showed a look of sympathy.

Nappa continued. "They were desperate for your arrival. Somehow, they knew you were coming, but you're just plain too late. Bardock was another guy who could've also saved your friends though, but the Prince of all Saiyans is too smart to let that happen. He'll not allow having someone with such a high power level to make this game unfair."

Goku suddenly sensed Bardock finally standing up from the ground. He heard him grunt a little in pain as he did so, but that did not stop him from standing and showing Nappa and Vegeta that he still had some fight left in him. He was definitely someone who will not give up.

At least Nappa was being honest about Bardock's power, Goku thought. He had been feeling out Bardock's life force all along and despite of his fatigue and exhaustion, he could tell that he was holding a significant amount of power; the highest he had ever felt ever since he set foot on Earth. Yes, it was true. No doubt it appeared like Vegeta and Nappa were really treating this battle as if it was all fun and games to them, making up their own rules just to make things "interesting" while Goku's friends and family were gravely suffering under their enemies' sinister shadows; while they were giving all they can even making noteworthy, noble sacrifices just to save the Earth.

The thought of it made Goku sick to the core. He felt ashamed, wishing he should have been here way earlier than this. He would have made some changes. Was this just fate after all? He wondered. He was here now, so will there be a chance to change the future then?

These beliefs were now motivating Goku than ever, giving him confidence and hope as well as inner strength within.

Vegeta's scouter reacted to Goku's feelings. The device calculated his power. His combat strength was rapidly increasing by ten's. "His ki is rising," he said to himself.

Goku began to walk towards Nappa.

Nappa did not stop provoking him. "Your pitiful friends were a bunch of weaklings except for Raditz and Bardock. They kinda gave us some entertainment, but it didn't matter. They were still as feeble as you."

Goku continued to maintain his unusual silence.

Nappa was getting ticked. He expected for him to say a line back that will build his self-confidence, but what he only received from Goku were silent warnings.

"Still not talking, eh? Then you must be in a hurry to die. Hyah!" Nappa decided to test his strength by giving him a straight punch, but Goku disappeared at the blink of an eye, leaving the brute warrior very confused.

However, Vegeta was quite capable keeping track of Goku's immense speed. By realizing this, aside from Bardock, he thought he will prove to be another worthy opponent for him. Perhaps he will be better than Bardock this time.

"He's swift," Vegeta observed.

Raditz was not able to track Goku's speed that much. He was quite surprised, but Bardock already knew where his son went.

Nappa searched hastily for Goku, a bit cautious now to his surroundings, thinking he might just be standing behind him until he realized he was actually beside his son, Gohan. "How did he do that?" Nappa questioned.

Goku sat on his knees and helped his son get off carefully from Nimbus. "Come on, Gohan."

Gohan responded with a smile of relief. He knew his dad would make it. He knew his father would come. He had always believed this since this battle of struggle became a battle of desperation.

"Nimbus, thanks a lot," Goku told his trusted cloud. "I'll take it on from here. I'll see ya in a little bit," he smiled.

Nimbus stayed there for a while as if to say he was very much welcome. It then soared back into the skies and disappeared into the horizon.

Once again, Raditz and Bardock saw that smile on Goku's face; that smile of his that always showed. Why did he keep on smiling even in situations like these? Because he was a special kind of Saiyan who believed that even though the darkness was taking over, there will always be a shed of hope.

After Goku helped Gohan up, he then looked at Krillin and asked if he was fine.

Krillin nodded. "I think I am. I could barely get up though."

Goku then lent his hand to Krillin. Krillin smiled as his friend helped him get up. Krillin almost lost balance once he tried standing on his two feet, but soon regained his coordination.

Goku deeply apologized for everything and to everyone. "I'm very sorry for my delayed arrival. If only I was here earlier, but...here I am now."

Krillin shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, Goku. You came. That's all that matters."

Goku smiled to hear this reassurance from him. He then immediately took out something from his shirt. "Oh yeah, here's something you'll be very happy about. Korin gave it to me," he showed the last Senzu Bean to Krillin and Gohan.

"A Senzu Bean!" Krillin exclaimed.

"This is the last one though," Goku said. "We should split it in half so you and Gohan could share," he began to break the bean in two.

But Krillin refused the offer, thinking Goku might need it for Nappa and Vegeta.

"Nah, I already have one," Goku refused back with a smile. "Please, take it. I wouldn't like it if I have to throw this to waste," he laughed softly.

"Goku, you need it, all right?" Krillin convinced him this time. "Vegeta and Nappa are not like any other enemy you ever fought. They're completely different from the ones you battled here on Earth. They came from space! You do realize that, don't you?"

Goku quickly reminisced that day when the once-evil Raditz attempted to wreak havoc on Earth by hurting his family and friends. He remembered the pain he received from him on that day when he refused to join the Saiyan race. It was very terrifying like no other pain he had ever experienced.

"You need a Saiyan to hold back another Saiyan," continued Krillin. "This is no ordinary battle. Most of our friends had to sacrifice their own lives just to beat them. Goku, think about it."

Goku simply shook his head. It felt useless for him if he was in good health whereas his friends were not. "No, I insist. You need to gain strength back. Please take it."

Krillin wanted to argue more, but gave up. He was too struck by his kindness. Maybe his best friend knew better anyway. "All right then, Goku. Whatever you say."

Raditz heard his brother's words, his expression of kindness and care to his friend and son. He was truly a special kind of warrior who had real potential, who had a face of a valiant fighter.

Raditz thought it was finally that time. He began to walk. His hands were uneasily shaking, his heart pounding, but he must confront his brother.

Bardock noticed this and watched as his eldest son approached his youngest. It was that time when the two met once again.

Goku was about to split the bean in half until Krillin and Gohan saw a familiar person behind Goku. Goku noticed their reactions which made him stand and turn around. There was Raditz standing a few distances away from the flesh and blood that was different from the Saiyan race.

Silence took over for a while. Raditz and Goku stared at each other, wondering what was in their minds. Many things have changed so much, yet the two still saw each other as complete strangers. Many obstacles had been conquered and struggles endured. There was only one unresolved question left.

Raditz advanced a little bit more until he was fully confronting his younger brother, face-to-face and man-to-man.

Goku watched as he proceeded. As he stopped, they continued to stare at each other, examining each other's resemblance. They tried to sense each other's flow of energy. They felt the same blood rushing through their veins; the blood of a Saiyan, the blood of two brothers. It felt strange because Goku did not panic this time when Raditz approached him. Looking at him brought Goku memories about his first encounter with this warrior. He had a cruel nature before he can never tolerate or forgive. Before, only between them laid pure hatred and resentment. However, Raditz was standing here right now with a look on his face that seemed to contain words longing to be spoken for ages.

The two stayed quiet. Finally, Raditz broke the unending stillness. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them. "Kakarot."

Goku kept that stare in his face. His expression maintained its seriousness.

Raditz almost stuttered, but tried his best to express himself. His face especially his eyes showed more sympathy than ever before. "I-I'm…I'm sorry."

"...," Goku remained silent.

"I'm sorry...for what I've done to you, to your family and friends, and to this planet. I didn't know what came to me. I-"

Raditz sighed and closed his eyes again. He had never apologized to anyone this deeply before, but this was a must he had to do. He was his own flesh and blood and he must say what he needed to say. He must tell him of all the unspoken words he had never got the chance to express to him back a long time ago.

Raditz bit his lips tight and continued. "I was…I was just doing my part as an older brother, but I realized my mistakes. I only wanted you to become what I wanted you to be, but that was my greatest fault. I understand what you told me long ago: that too much power, too much hatred, too much pride can make you lose everything. I learned that hard way."

Goku continued to listen to him.

"I...regretted for what I've done, Kakarot," Raditz was looking straight into his eyes now.

His heart ached and felt heavy ever since that day when he committed a great sin, when he killed his own brother. He just wished he could undo his mistakes. However, his younger brother was brought back to life. He standing in front of him now, looking well and fine.

Raditz's greatest fear now was if he will receive his forgiveness.

"I realize that what I did before was wrong. It pains me so much just to think about it. All I want now is for all of us to start over...Kakarot…will you forgive me?" he now asked.

Goku maintained his solemn face; however, a smile suddenly appeared and it was a smile of sincerity and understanding. "Of course I forgive you, Raditz. I truly understand. I thank you for that…Big Brother."

Raditz's eyes widened for he was surprised that Goku called him, for the very first time, his big brother. He was about to smile back, but hesitated a little. He actually expected for Goku to ponder more of his apology rather than to accept his apology _that_ quickly. Was this another one of the reasons why Goku was different amongst most Saiyans were, who showed no mercy to their opponents at all, who only thought about fighting and becoming the most formidable race in the universe?

"Are you this forgiving towards your enemies…," Raditz said whose face was deep in thought and emotion, "even if your own enemy is your own flesh and blood?"

Goku shook his head while maintaining his smile. "You're not an enemy anymore, Raditz. Every person deserves to have a chance to change because I know people will realize their mistakes, no matter how small or great they are. I believe with all my heart you will change, Raditz, and you did. I know you are sincere and I accept your apology."

His older brother was almost touched by Goku's words. He was even more poetic than he was! Goku was very kind at heart. Even though Saiyans were supposedly heartless in the first place, it was wonderful to see a change in heart in every person. Raditz changed his ways because he knew it was right thing to do.

"Big Brother, thanks a whole lot," Goku then placed a hand on his right shoulder.

Raditz chuckled lightly. "You don't have to call me your 'Big Brother or whatever. Just call me 'Raditz.' I kinda like it that way. You are what you are, Kakarot."

Goku and Raditz smiled at each other. Raditz then placed a hand on his brother's left shoulder. Then, eventually, the two siblings embraced. At this very moment, they finally accepted each other as true brothers. It was the time when Raditz can begin a whole chapter anew in his life. The power of the brothers blended in, in synchronization. It only meant the brotherly love that they had will be forever kept.

Gohan smiled. "Uncle Raditz, Daddy..."

Krillin folded his arms. "Well, what do you know? Blood is thicker than water after all."

Bardock was especially happy towards his own two sons whom were brought life in this universe, so he could take care of them, give them all the wisdom and teachings in life, and help them become the sons he wanted them to be.

However, even Bardock himself felt uneasy. He still wondered even now...if Goku had accepted him as his father yet.

After embracing his brother, Goku then turned his attention now to Bardock. Bardock was standing there, looking at him in silence. He felt his power and thought his son really changed a whole lot.

The disbelief that Goku had about Bardock being his true father had him always thinking. Even in the afterlife, even at times when he was training or relaxing at King Kai's place, when his strenuous trainings were supposed to demand for his consistency of deep focus and power, that constant, deniable thought played over and over his head. Goku wondered every day and every night, even in his sleeps when he sometimes had dreams about himself sitting in an empty void and thought about Bardock if this one Saiyan who looked so identical to him was his real father. Everyone will most likely say that he was because they shared so much resemblance, but Goku believed it was the feelings that counted. He needed those feelings that evoked he was ready to accept.

Nevertheless, he was standing here right now, face to face with his own reflection in the mirror. Bardock always questioned, did his youngest son had accepted all the stories that were told to him?

Goku stayed still for a moment. He finally approached Bardock himself and started to have a conversation with him. "I think you've done quite well fighting off the Saiyans while I was gone, right?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

Bardock did not respond for a moment or maybe was a bit surprised his son was trying to engage him in calm conversations even at a time like this. He continued to look at him from head to toe because he wanted to know how much he changed.

"I guess I did though I had a tough time," Bardock answered back.

"I bet you're getting tired too, aren't you?" Goku asked.

Bardock tilted his head to the side. "I have to admit. I'm so tired I could barely throw a punch, even for the rest of us, but we won't go down that easily."

Goku laughed a little. Then, he placed his hands on his hips and told with a smile, "You didn't really change that much for this past one year."

Bardock decided to tell him a fact that he may be surprised about. "For your information, Saiyans like us don't really age."

"Really?" Goku was interested of that fact. "Then, how old are you?"

Bardock was a little sensitive when it came to topics about his age. It was nothing personal to him though. It was just he did not like being called "old" especially that, like what he said before, Saiyans did not age in appearance at least.

"Um," Bardock looked away for a moment and smiled lightly, "I'm in my late-fifty's now."

Goku was almost taken back by surprise. "Wow, really?! You look eighteen!"

Bardock almost felt timid. It was true. Even Yamcha, Krillin, and Yajirobe said the same. Even Kami himself, the Guardian of Earth, said the same exact line.

"Yeah, I know," Bardock looked back at him.

"Hmm...," Goku began to think. "I guess that explained why one of my friends thought I was five when I was a kid, but was really thirteen at that time."

Bardock just laughed. Most true, he thought. He recalled his visions about his son. When he saw him advanced from thirteen towards twenty years of age, he looked almost the same nevertheless.

Goku laughed back. The laughter actually calmed his nerves down for the battle he needed to face soon. The tranquil fighter gave a warm beam on his face. "Too bad I missed seeing my friends, Krillin, Gohan, Raditz, and you fight off the Saiyans. Wish I've been there. I know you did an excellent job fighting and I could really see it."

Goku felt Bardock's energy flowing and surrounding him soundlessly. He closed his eyes to sense it more and then opened them with a face that contained emotion. Deep within Goku's heart, he somewhat felt proud and…happy.

It was time to say what was sincerely on his mind. At this very moment, he finally accepted.

"I would like to fight you some time…Father."

Bardock's eyes widened and were restraint with shock. He could not believe what he just heard. Goku, for the first time, called him "father"! Before the day when Goku left King Kai's place to head back to Planet Earth to fight Nappa and Vegeta, that was when Goku was finally convinced Bardock was his true father. All he needed was more time and just a time of inner, spiritual concentration. Again, Goku never stopped thinking about him every day. Deep within his heart, he knew they shared some kind of special connection. It was that unexpected, random day when your instincts just clicked on you, when your mind had accepted the facts, and when your heart just flew out from your chest, knowing that all the stories had been told to you were true. Goku had that day and with big sincerity in his heart, he meant it.

"Guess you were finally convinced, huh?" Bardock asked, now smiling.

Goku gave a surprised expression also. "You could tell?"

"I'm your father. Of course I did. How could I not know my own children's feelings?" Bardock replied.

Goku smiled back.

"But you could still call me 'Bardock', it doesn't matter. Whatever you want to call us, Kakarot," Bardock said. He kind of liked Goku calling him by his name. In fact, some Saiyan children, when they greatly respect their fathers so much, they would sometimes call them by their first names.

Bardock did have one condition though. "But don't let that get over your head. Don't call me 'Bardock' all the time as if I'm a friend instead. You're my son and I'm your father, so please call me 'Father' or 'Dad' as much as you can."

"Yeah, of course!" Goku smiled and laughed. Then, with shyness, he asked him a favor. It was something about when he was a baby up until now; something significant about his name he wanted to share his thoughts on. He gulped a little and began. "Hey, I have a question."

"Sure, what is it?" Bardock asked.

"Will it be okay if I can still be called by the name my adoptive grandfather gave to me? You know, 'Goku'? I mean, at the back of my mind, I know I'm Kakarot, but I'm used to being called Goku."

Goku felt a bit uneasy what his father might think after he said that. It would hurt a little, but he wanted to express himself. "Is that all right with you? I hope it didn't offend you that much. You can still call me 'Kakarot' if you want. It's just that…"

He put his head down for a moment and gave a good reason. "It's just…my adoptive grandpa gave me that name. And my whole life, I was called by that. Goku. And I'm used to it…I like it a whole lot."

Bardock did not argue back. He completely understood his son especially after all he had to go through.

"Sure," nodded Bardock. "You can still be called 'Goku.' I understand."

However, Bardock wanted to remind him about the significance of his birth name. He placed his hands on his son's shoulders and said, "But Son, remember this. You hold that name 'Kakarot.' Never, _ever_ forget who you are. You may be different and very special from all Saiyans, but never, ever forget that name."

Goku looked at his father's eyes. He understood, too. Goku may be his name, but deep down, he was truly Kakarot and that will never change. He may understand it now, but throughout time, he will understand it more about the significance of that name, where he came from, and what he was truly within.

"I promise. I will never forget that, Father," Goku said. He then suddenly sniffed and felt he could cry, but held back all his tears. It would be too embarrassing to show them. Bardock though quickly saw his eyes becoming teary before Goku could hide them. He smiled and empathized with him.

Goku had to be honest with himself. He missed Bardock for the past year so he was more than happy to reunite with him again. He did not expect to miss and love his father this much even though he had never met him, not until a year ago. He was just thankful to the Heavens he still had a father, a great father, always there with him along with an older brother who changed completely at heart. This day could not get any better than this! It was a miracle for him. With that, Goku and Bardock, with a tad bit of hesitance, but hugged each other willingly especially for Goku whom just missed him so much. So this was it felt like to have a real father like him.

Krillin smiled while Gohan smiled the biggest. He was extremely happy for his father for reuniting with his long-time no-see father and brother.

However, Nappa and Vegeta were getting disgusted by this sight. It was very uncommon, almost unnatural, even offending for a Saiyan to show sweet emotions like this in the open.

"Hmph, these low-classes of garbage," Vegeta scoffed. "Even our former companion, Raditz, has gotten soft like Kakarot and his idiotic father. What a disgrace," he said in a tone of a whisper.

However, another feeling came to Vegeta; that same feeling he had before the battle began, about his own father whom he never had the chance to prove to him that...

Vegeta closed his eyes and turned his head the other way, shoving that pitiful emotion out from his conscious. He reminded himself that he was far better than this, far better than these low-levels, he believed, because he was a Saiyan prince whom everyone feared for he wielded an unimaginable, great, and terrifying power.

Goku then let go of Bardock while Bardock touched his son's back one more time. Goku then looked at his hand, which still had the Senzu Bean. "Bardock, and Raditz."

Raditz approached the two with a smile.

"I wish I could give this Senzu Bean to you...," Goku said.

"No, we're fine," Raditz shook his head.

"That's right," agreed Bardock. "Your friends need it more than your brother and I. Besides, they're in much critical condition than we are."

"Of course," Goku laughed. He then split the Senzu into two and gave each one to Krillin and Gohan.

Krillin munched on the half-piece. "Thanks, Goku."

"And this one's for you, Gohan," Gohan offered the last half of the bean.

Gohan chewed on it. "Thanks, Daddy."

Krillin's and Gohan's energy returned fifty percent, but that was fine with them.

Krillin felt better than before. "Phew! You know, Korin should teach us how to plant those Senzu Beans someday."

"We should. It'll be very helpful," Gohan exclaimed.

Goku sensed both of their energies and their powers were way different than last time. They drastically improved than ever before!

"We should all thank Kami for training us. He's the one who helped us release our latent potential, but I can't believe it's still not enough," Krillin became disappointed. Even though their preparation for this had been intensive, it was still not enough. "Raditz and Bardock though lasted longer than any of us did. They were so close in beating Nappa and Vegeta."

Goku gave a sigh. Those words foreshadowed he was going to face one of the most decisive battles in his life ever. Strangely enough, this worried him a little.

"All of you, don't try to let yourselves down. You all did your best. That's what's important," he told them.

Goku then ruffled his son's hair and mentioned that he was surprised to see him train alongside with their family and friends; not that he doubted his son; of course not. He was just surprised that he would actually decide to become a warrior for this battle.

Gohan nodded. "Mmm-hmm. Grandpa Bardock, Uncle Raditz, Mr. Kami, and Piccolo taught me so many things a fighter should know. They're great mentors!"

"Really?" Goku looked at Bardock and Raditz.

They both smiled.

"Your son's pretty strong, Kakarot," Bardock complimented. "You should be proud of him."

"Gosh," Goku looked back at Gohan again and ruffled his hair more. Ever since he saw his child's unexpected burst of fighting power before, this thought instantly came to him that his son _did_ have potential to become a great fighter.

But the young half-Saiyan became disappointed as Krillin was. He said, "But...Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Piccolo...they're all gone. They had to sacrifice themselves. We need to find a way to beat Nappa and Vegeta, Dad! We need to!" he told him.

Goku's face became serious again. "Don't worry, Son. We _will_ find a way."

Krillin agreed with his friend. "You're right. With your new strength, us back again, and support from Raditz and Bardock, we should able to defeat them without even have to try hard!" he believed that this kind of teamwork will definitely beat the Saiyans.

But Goku shook his head, knowing better. "Thanks a lot, but you all have done your part. Leave it all to me instead."

Raditz stared at his brother with huge surprise. This was no ordinary battle, and yet Goku wanted to face this fight alone? It was either his brother was absolutely holding a new kind of strength no one else in the battlefield knew about or he just did not know what lied ahead of him.

"Kakarot, what are you saying?" Raditz refused. "You don't know Nappa and Vegeta, but I do. I've been with them for several years now and I know their power. They're even stronger than me."

"Uncle Raditz's right, Daddy," Gohan agreed.

"To tell you the truth, we need to stick together if you want to beat them," Krillin thought it was the best strategy ever.

Goku, however, was staring at Nappa and Vegeta. With an intent, serious look on his face, he slowly approached the two Saiyans himself without another word. These Saiyans were beings everyone feared from planet to planet. However, Goku will not allow their reign to continue especially here on Earth.

Goku walked. His silence kept everyone in suspense and at wonder.

Gohan shook his head, thinking his father cannot do this. "Daddy, you can't!"

"Goku! What are you doing?!" Krillin asked.

But Bardock halted them. "Stop. Hold on."

Krillin, Raditz, and Gohan looked at him.

"Do as he says. I feel...that he can handle this alone. Kakarot has changed. Just watch," Bardock said, knowing better and understanding his son's decisions. Something about his youngest son he knew he can put his trust on him. He had received visions about his son's great accomplishments as a great warrior and simply just a normal person. Bardock will never doubt him because he strongly believed in him.

Krillin scratched his head and could really see the resemblance between father and son. "Man, Bardock is like Goku, all right."

Goku had a very solemn look on his face. When the distances between good and evil were near each other, he spoke. "No more of these violent doings. It's time to end this."

Nappa scoffed. He can now prove his power by crushing Goku into two. "It's about time you turn your attention to the real deal here; the real deal when you'll soon see this awesome power of mine. Prepare yourself, you low-level soldier!"

"You want me?" Goku questioned him angrily. "You got me!" he bent his legs with both of his arms against his waist. He charged up quite a bit and as soon as he sensed a rush of intensifying power growing inside of him, he shouted vigorously to reveal some of it. His power rose and multiplied.

Vegeta checked his power level through his scouter. "What the heck is this? It's rising every second."

Raditz grew serious, yet confident for his brother. "This could be just the beginning."

Goku powered up more and gave his last yell. Shockwaves were released from his battle cries. He soon calmed down, yet kept his potential in an unwavering scale.

Nappa uneasily turned to Vegeta and asked him about Goku's power level.

Vegeta took off the scouter from his left eye. His fists were clearly shaking not from anxiety, but from anger. "It's over 9,000!" he crushed his scouter into small pieces.

"Impossible!" Nappa cried. "He's the son of Bardock, the son of a low-class soldier. There's no way!"

"Don't rely on your devices too much," Goku interrupted them. "Anyone can raise his or her power at will."

Vegeta spat at him. "You fool, you think I don't know that?"

Goku smirked. "My time during training, for a straight whole one year, I've been mastering the art of Kaioken."

Vegeta gasped and was kind of intrigued by that technique he had never heard before. "Kaioken?"

Bardock found the word to be strangely familiar though.

"Kaio-whatever!" Nappa did not care one bit where he trained or what kind of art he was taught under. He just wanted to crush him now. "It's time to fight me!"

He assaulted towards Goku and tried to attack him, but Goku teleported quickly without Nappa noticing his great speed. His distraction being an opportunity to strike, Goku quickly gave him a shocking sidekick to his neck. Nappa was stung and fell to the ground instantly.

Goku maintained that serious look on his face. Everybody stood in astonishment while Vegeta felt more angered after witnessing a glimpse of Goku's new powers. It opposed his notion of Goku being so weak. He was definitely wrong.

"Kakarot...you've gotten strong," Raditz was almost speechless. It was at first Goku could not handle fighting another kind of warrior who came from another planet, but this time, he was not making even the slightest effort.

Nappa held his neck real tight. The pain was excruciating, and he barked at Goku for hurting him. "You coward! How are you so fast? I'm supposed to be the second strongest Saiyan in the universe. You can't match up with me!"

"We'll see about that," Goku said calmly.

"I'm gonna rip you apart!" Nappa headed straight towards his opponent and attacked non-stop at his fullest speed.

Goku though was evading his moves like nothing, swiftly dodging his every attack, and he was not even trying.

"Strange," Vegeta said as his eyes observed the new Goku and his incredible speed.

Nappa delivered a good punch, but Goku vanished at the blink of an eye and was already right behind him.

"Over here," he caught his attention.

"Wow!" exclaimed Krillin in awe and confusion. "Did you see all of that, Gohan?"

Gohan shook his head with his jaw dropped. "Barely! Did you?" he asked back.

Raditz only stared at awe. He had to admit, he underestimated his brother. It was true after all. Goku was trained more than just to enhance his skills and become better in future battles. He was trained involving the mind and the heart, not just the body. His little brother was a great fighter, and he would like to see more of his skills.

The fight between Nappa and Goku will not end that quickly though, not as long as Nappa will continue to stay obstinate, making him not realize what the inevitable outcome will be since Goku was only making a folly out of him.

"You!" Nappa yelled. "How did you get behind me? Once I get my hands on you, I'll crush you!"

Vegeta quickly looked back at those moments when Goku's speed was entirely impossible to track down. Vegeta never witnessed any Saiyan with that kind of speed and power. This concept was almost mind-boggling.

Goku decided to take this chance to attack. He began to rush towards Nappa for himself. As he was an inch away from his opponent, he disappeared and reappeared behind Nappa. Nappa's blood began to boil. This Saiyan was definitely making a fool out of him as if this was just a mere game. He tried to attack Goku with a shivering strike, but Goku skillfully evaded it. With agility, he lifted his foot for a roundhouse kick. Nappa, however, anticipated this and cried out.

"Hah! That's not gonna work on me!"

Goku though only faked it, fooling him more. This time, as he made a full circle in air, with this immense speed, he struck Nappa with a real, full-powered roundhouse kick this time. Nappa was crushed and almost halted him from his tracks.

"That was for my friends, all four of them," Goku yelled.

Nappa trailed his eyes from Goku's feet then to his face. He angrily barked at him; he felt very humiliated. "I was a commander-in-chief of the whole Saiyan army. No one insults me like this!"

Nappa was off his rocker and mindlessly went all-out on Goku as he attacked with rapid punches. Goku kept on evading them even though his foe was already going at his fullest drive.

Nappa gathered a sufficient amount of energy and fired it mindlessly, losing control.

Goku noticed his overwhelming blast. He bent his legs and was prepared. "Nyah!" he surprisingly left himself get hit by the blast. For a person who was weaker than Nappa could had met his or her doom already, but it was nothing to Goku as it felt like someone just accidentally bumped into him.

Nappa could not believe what he just saw. "How-how did you do that?!"

In a split second, Goku teleported in front of his confused enemy. His leg was readying for a very good high kick.

"This one's for Yamcha!" he cried as he sent his opponent flying in the skies. The power from Goku's foot created a pulverizing vibration throughout Nappa's body. He immediately followed the blown Saiyan in a fast homing dash.

Krillin cheered happily. "Yeah! He got him! Way to go!"

Gohan jumped back and forth with joy and relief. "Yeah! That's my daddy all right!"

Raditz stood in awe. His younger brother must have done some very special training in the afterlife. However it turned out, it was all worth it.

In time, he found himself smiling. "He surprises me."

Suddenly, he heard a faint grunt from Bardock. Raditz turned to him and noticed his expression as if he was in pain, but tried to fight it back.

"Huh? Father, is there something wrong?" Raditz asked.

A vision passed through Bardock's head. He saw two fearless warriors in this vision. One was engulfed in blue aura while the other surrounded in red. For a brief moment, he saw how these fighters clashed at each other with one holding good deeds and hope for the future while the other obsessed of coming out on top, all thinking about power and eternal life.

Bardock closed his eyes for a moment. Then, he shook his head and focused back on Goku's fight against Nappa.

"I'm fine," Bardock told Raditz. "Don't mind about me."

Raditz gave a questioning look.

"Hyah!" Goku's super dash quickly took him above the almost unconscious Nappa. Without any mercy, he clasped his hands together and struck him rigorously. "This one's for Chiaotzu!"

Nappa was sent flying towards the ground this time, but Goku kept on coming with his combination of attacks, venting out all his anger, avenging his friends' deaths. Continuing to prove his new strength he had respectfully gained this past one year, Goku then gave a turning hook kick to his stomach while crying out, "This one's for Tien!"

Nappa felt he could explode from Goku's successful invasion of attacks, but also felt he wanted to stop for his opponent's strength paralyzed him down to the core. Nappa opened an eye with his teeth biting his lips hard. He realized Goku was coming right at him again. His aura shone with the sun and the winds from the air going against his body.

"And this one's for Piccolo!" Goku used his two feet to crush Nappa's stomach. He brought him to the ground finally, pushing the top layer of it one more feet below from its original position. Goku then let go of Nappa and stood in a firm manner; the calmness in him returned as if everything was back to normal again.

Once again, Vegeta felt his hands fidgeted like after he witnessed a few episodes of Bardock's unexplainable, explosive anger which gave him brief moments of massive boost of power. He could not explain the meaning behind this strength from Bardock, and he also could not figure out the meaning behind Goku's new powers. It was good that his scouter malfunctioned because if it had not, he would be reading numbers he did not want to believe in. Goku was just a low-class soldier, yet showed strength close to a noble.

"Oh man! Did you see that, Gohan?" Krillin asked.

"This time, I really did, Krillin. My dad's amazing!" Gohan exclaimed.

The brute warrior shook while lying on the ground. The paralysis from Goku's fierce attacks drained almost all of his energy. He wanted to persist in teaching Goku a lesson what a Saiyan should be in the first place, but the pain brought him down to his knees.

"Ngh…you imbecile!" Nappa grunted. He slowly stood up and ascended from the ground. Scrapes and wounds were seen all over his body, but his anger inside burnt even more. "You low-class! There's no way you can beat me. I'm a warrior elite! You're nothing but piles of trash. Why am I getting beaten by garbage like you?" he nearly screamed.

Goku gave no comments.

Raditz wanted to give his former comrade a heads-up since, once again, he was letting his rage cloud his judgment. He did not know what kind of end lied ahead of him. "Give it up now, Nappa! Surely by this time, you must know that you're already defeated. It's useless to try!"

"Shut up, Raditz!" Nappa bickered. "I won't listen to low-levels like you, Bardock, and Kakarot!" suddenly, a blinking light appeared from his hand. It instantly formed another Bomber DX/Impact Bomb, the same move he absorbed into his hand and killed Piccolo with it. Wanting Raditz to vanish from his sights, believing that he still had the power to at least vaporize him, Nappa this time fired his Impact Bomb at Raditz.

"Huh?!" Gohan and Krillin exclaimed.

"Raditz!" Bardock yelled.

Raditz did not feel frightened at all. Positive that Nappa had grown weaker from receiving Goku's fierce attacks, Raditz placed a hand in front and decided to cancel his attack himself.

Goku saw this, and he was more concerned about the safety of his family and friends. In a hasty reaction, he yelled, "HAA!" he discharged a Kamehameha wave, but an even stronger one than last time, thanks to his special training with King Kai. The Kamehameha fought with Nappa's intense Impact Bomb and soon rammed it to a gigantic canyon instead.

Raditz was surprised to see this. How powerful Goku's Kamehameha was to easily shove Nappa's full-powered Bomber DX that, for many years, was known to obliterate people in an instant.

"Yeah!" cheered Krillin and Gohan.

Bardock smiled to see his youngest son's astounding, improved powers. Well, he should not call them surprising at all since he had already expected this.

At Kame House, everyone in the room was also cheering for Goku. It came as a shocker to them to see how he had improved so much in just one year. They could not almost believe that this was the same Goku.

"Yes!" cried Puar, Turtle, Oolong, and Bulma happily.

Master Roshi began to laugh. "Hah, hah! That's my student, all right. Seriously, you need to give me credit for training him when he was a boy."

Baba laughed too. "Ho, ho! Goku is quite the fighter there."

Ox-King pointed at Baba's crystal ball. "Did you see that, Chi-Chi?" he asked his daughter. "Goku hasn't even broken a sweat yet."

Chi-Chi sighed with relief. "You're right, Dad."

After witnessing what Goku had done to Nappa's Super Attack, this angered him even more. "No way! How did you-there's no way you can do that! You pitiful Saiyan-!"

"Wow," Goku was quite amazed by his opponent's persistence. Actually, it was not persistence at all rather it was ignorance. "He's still not giving up, isn't he?"

"Idiot," Vegeta whispered. "He doesn't even know what he's up against."

Nappa breathed heavily. "Listen up, Kakarot. As long I'm still here, I won't stop 'till you're dead. You'll soon be crushed by me!" he went at it again. This time, he was boiling mad. He was ready to pound and brawl at him.

Vegeta suddenly halted his partner to remind him again that, "Nappa! For the last time, didn't I tell you to calm yourself especially when you're in a fight? How can you _even_ think straight with your head exploding like that? You'll never able to get your hands on an enemy if you run mad."

Nappa looked at the Prince of all Saiyans. He was always reminded of this, and yet he seemed to always forget. Taking heed to his advice, and to also not irritate the Saiyan Prince, he took a deep breath to relax his boiling vessels. Once he did, he was in much better shape. "All right, Kakarot. Are you ready for the next round? This time, I'll prove I'm stronger than you."

He used swift speed to teleport in front of Goku and viciously attacked with non-stop kicks and punches from every angle. Goku was swiftly avoiding his impending moves as if he can read his thoughts before Nappa could release his attacks. This blow exchange soon led them to the skies. Both Saiyans' auras of blue and purple clashed tremendously.

The Z-fighters and Vegeta watched as they fought.

"Goku's so fast, and he doesn't look like he's trying at all!" Krillin commented.

"That only means we have a huge chance in beating Nappa and Vegeta! If Daddy can beat Nappa, then I bet he can beat Vegeta too," Gohan believed after seeing what his father can do.

Bardock reacted to what Gohan said, which tempted the Saiyan warrior to look at Vegeta. He did not know all along the Saiyan Prince was actually giving Bardock a very grave, defiant stare. It brought Bardock almost the chills, but tried to ignore that feeling. With that, he looked away from Vegeta while the prince continued to stare at him including his friends and family. Many thoughts spiraled in his head especially questions as to why Bardock and Raditz had changed their ways and why Goku would be this strong if he was only the son of a low-class soldier?

Nappa realized his attacks were not hitting his target and even if they were to hit him, it did not faze Goku at all. Again, he began to get angrier than before. It was then the last straw when Goku grabbed Nappa's elbow, almost distracting him from his tracks. Nappa nearly yelled at the top of his lungs.

"You must die!" Nappa quickly threw a punch at Goku, but he easily grabbed his hand. His enemy suddenly sneered as his blocked hand began to gather energy. He released a surprising energy blast straight at Goku's face. Just in time though, Goku blocked it with his own left hand and with it, deflected it and sent it straight to the skies, letting it explode there instead. Nappa was shocked. It was almost impossible to deflect a ki blast at such a very close range, where there was only an inch of space between them.

"Man, that's intense," Krillin said, continuing to watch his friend.

"I'll say," agreed Gohan.

Raditz saw how his former comrade was leading himself into his own doom sooner than he knew. He folded his arms. "Heh, Nappa, you just don't what you're up against. Pity you can't see it."

"Impossible!" Nappa roared at his opponent who only showed calmness even if he engaged him in a very rigorous battle. "You can't humiliate me like this!"

Vegeta was rather getting impatient. His comrade here could not even lay a finger on Goku. It was time for him to step up. "Enough, Nappa. Leave the rest to me now."

But Nappa kind of hesitated, wanting to kill Goku for himself. "But Prince, I'm not finished yet!"

"You're not suggesting to me you're denying my orders again, are you, Nappa?" Vegeta questioned him.

Nappa immediately stopped talking. He knew better than to quarrel with him. He was only his second-in-command. Vegeta had infinite times more authority than over him.

Nappa sighed with irritation. "Yes, Vegeta," he then looked at Goku. "Consider yourself lucky, Kakarot. You might not get pounded by me, but Vegeta sure can. Now, what should I do while Vegeta beats you to a pulp?" he wondered to himself.

Goku remained quiet.

On the other hand though, Vegeta did not mean Nappa should stop continuing his hungry violence towards others. Nappa rubbed his chin in eagerness. "Why not I kill _you_ instead?"

Nappa scared off Gohan and Krillin, deciding to exterminate them instead. Nappa assaulted towards the both of them without another word, being confident that his fast speed will leave Goku bewildered and be too late to save his friends. Nappa also did not feel afraid if Raditz and Bardock were in the way for he believed he and Vegeta had already reduced their combat strength enough when they gave them a good beating right before Goku arrived.

Raditz and Bardock instantly shielded protect Gohan and Krillin. Before Nappa could lay a finger on them though, Goku reacted.

"Don't go near them! KAIOKEN!" Goku yelled.

That word echoed in Bardock's mind. He repeated what he said. "Kaioken…"

It was that same vision kept repeating over and over in his head. It was about two decades ago when he received a vision of his son adroitly performing the Kaioken, and now it was coming back to him again.

Snapping back to present, Goku's body and aura turned blazing red as the Kaioken effect was activated. Goku's speed and strength doubled, and flew at a superb speed. Before Nappa could foresaw the attack he was about to get from Goku, he had already launched a powerful blow to his opponent's back. It was only a few seconds that Nappa realized the pain had taken over him. The attack almost created a "boom" sound effect. Nappa writhed in agony.

Goku hurriedly went to the surface and gave a devastating hand strike to Nappa's back once again, causing his foe's pain to be doubled and his bones almost crushed. Goku ended his attack mercilessly.

"So it's true," Bardock quietly said to himself. "And I thought I would never get to see it in real life…the Kaioken..."

Goku then lightly threw Nappa beside his comrade, Vegeta. Vegeta looked down on his right-hand man, seeing how he was in torturous pain. Suddenly though, Nappa persisted to get up on his feet and this time, he was completely berserk. "Ngh! I'll kill you!"

"Nappa!" hollered Vegeta, trying to stop him from his uncontrollable anger.

But for the first time in his life, he ignored Vegeta's orders. He continued to do what he wanted to do. Goku readied in his fighting position to stop him this time.

"RARGH!" using the last of his strength left, Nappa opened his mouth and again did his finisher "Kapa" or "Break Cannon." A powerful, ominous white beam headed straight for Goku and the rest of his family and friends this time.

Goku felt his energy level not too long ago and it increased just a bit, cautioning himself and was more on the alert. Just before Nappa's finisher gave an opportunity to Goku block, evade, or intercept it, suddenly, his older brother stepped in. He stood in front of Goku and the others.

"Huh?" Goku noticed this.

"Leave this to me, Kakarot. He's mine to be dealt since the beginning," Raditz told him.

He then gathered energy into a single point from his palm; his arm surrounded with surges of pure, violet aura, and soon, he shot a super-powered version Saturday's Crush, used as a finisher, straight to Nappa's Break Cannon. Both of their finishers fought against each other with great might, resulting into a struggling energy collision.

Goku was quite impressed by Raditz's powers. Krillin and Gohan both believed they were turning the tables once again. And Bardock, being the silent warrior he was, just smiled, knowing his two sons had a lot of potential in them.

Nappa was shocked to know that he was now struggling especially in overcoming Raditz, which angered him so, draining all his focus and concentration. All he cared about now was winning and proving that a Saiyan elite will always dominate those with lower status.

"HYAH!" the vicious, brute warrior used more of his remaining power to conclude this fight once and for all.

Raditz perspired a little since he was still weakened from his injuries. He felt his energy attack being pushed back a little, but this gave him more reason to prove to Nappa and also to Vegeta never to underestimate someone who was considered lower than an elite, especially him, his little brother, and his father who were regarded as low-classes, whereas in reality, they were real and true Saiyan warriors who fight with the body, mind, and heart.

This was what Raditz had learned all through his one-year training, and this gave him the confidence and hope he needed, to let him know that at the end, the good will always prevail.

"Remember this, Nappa! Never underestimate us! RARGH!" Raditz pushed a bit further to his boundaries. His Saturday Crush unexpectedly grew larger in size, consumed Nappa's finisher like a larger star eating up another star, and next, powerfully struck the enemy himself, sending him into a world of pain.

Once again, Nappa had underestimated Raditz, whom he had always thought will never match up to anyone who was an elite especially who came from royal bloodline. To this very day, he was proven wrong finally.

Nappa felt the pain he was awarded with was quadrupled. He felt humiliation once more, but he cannot go on any further. He wanted to give up for he was too petrified with what he just witnessed.

"Wow, Bro," Goku looked at Raditz, noticing how he had improved so much especially with his new changed of heart, this definitely gave him a new kind of stronger potential. "I didn't expect you to step in. Well, don't get the wrong idea. Your help was very much appreciated."

Raditz breathed heavily. He had sapped, unfortunately, almost all of his strength, but he was still in good health. He smiled at Goku. "Well, I felt I needed to settle the scores with Nappa anyway, but I've also decided to help you out because you need to save your strength for a much more challenging battle than this, Kakarot. I don't want you wasting your energy on someone who's of insignificance."

"Heh, heh!" Goku chuckled. He placed his hands on his hips. "Well, you proved your point. That really saved me a lot of work. Thanks, Raditz!"

Raditz nodded.

"Goku, you're awesome!" Krillin approached the two Saiyan brothers. "You really kicked his butt. And you did great too, Raditz. You finally finished him off with help from Goku, of course."

Raditz lightly grinned. "Of course. I would've never done it without Kakarot's help."

"Amazing," Gohan exclaimed.

_"That's the spirit,"_ Bardock said in his mind.

The calm Goku took a deep breath. He tried to unwind his mind from too much tension. As he was reminded by Raditz, this was not the end yet, but was very glad this whole battle will end very soon. All he had to do now was to confront who could be his most relentless, challenging, and powerful foe he could have ever faced in his entire life, and that was Vegeta. Goku turned to him this time that will be more fearsome.

Goku spoke and warned the Saiyan Prince, "When someone has hurt especially my friends, my home planet, and my family, that person must pay dearly, but...I'll give you one more chance to leave. Take your comrade and yourself back to where you came from if you don't want any more trouble."

Vegeta was shocked at the low-level who was supposed to be weak, but proved himself not, who showed no signs of worry; only calmness and confidence which made Vegeta stand in confusion more.

_"He speaks so calmly. He has tremendous fighting skills. What kind of a warrior is he?"_ the prince asked himself.

While Goku waited for his reply, Krillin asked Goku about the name of his move when he flashed and was engulfed in red aura, which took his battle against Nappa immediately to a turning point. Goku replied it was called the "Kaioken Attack." The Kaioken will double one's strength and speed. It will also improve hearing and vision. The Kaioken Attack was a very powerful technique, but using this must be kept to a minimum number of attempts for the energy of this attack could be too much for the user's body as it also increases great levels of fatigue, strain, and tension in the body. It must be used wisely, only in times of emergency. This technique must be sustained in a short amount of time, in a very short burst. Holding the massive energy for too long can cause massive instability and eventually, destroy everything in the body. The Kaioken Attack was a useful attack, but a huge risk to take.

"That's terrible," Bardock complimented.

"But I'm still here, right?" Goku said with a smile.

King Kai had already told Goku about the pros and cons of the Kaioken Attack. It almost frightened Goku, but he heeded perfectly to his words. As long he used the Kaioken only for emergencies, Goku will be okay. Goku promised King Kai that he will use this helpful, yet dicey technique for necessities.

"So the Kaioken could kill you, is that what you're saying?" Raditz asked.

Goku nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."

"And that's why you must use it wisely, correct?" Bardock asked.

Goku nodded again. "That's right."

Vegeta had been staring at his defeated partner, Nappa, the whole time. While his eyes were quiet, almost emotionless, inside, he was disgusted by this great humiliation especially by this no-good Saiyan. All along, he thought Nappa was worthy of serving by his side to help prove the Saiyans will always remain the fearless and heartless they be. Ever since he was a child, he put his trust on him. Now, it seemed like he was worth nothing; nothing like dusts in the wind.

Nappa groaned in pain and reached out his hand to Vegeta, hoping he would help him get up. He was not able to please the Saiyan Prince given that Goku's power exceeded his, but hoped he still saw him as a partner.

"Please, help me, Vegeta," begged Nappa. "I can't move."

The Saiyan Prince, whose eyes were casted with shadows, gave him a long stare. Finally, he grabbed his hand, still sustaining that ominous look on his face.

"Tha-thank you, Vegeta," Nappa smiled. He knew he was a true partner.

Vegeta gave that frightening look, but smirked and said, "Don't mention it. It's the least I can do, Nappa."

But Bardock felt something that was no right at all. He sensed that Vegeta planned to do something.

And he was right. Vegeta unexpectedly took a tight grip on Nappa's aching right arm and flung him into the skies, out of the battlefield, and away from his sights.

Nappa became confused and yelled, "Vegeta, no! What are you doing?!" he shouted anxiously.

Vegeta's face was clearly filled with dismay, disappointment, and his continued stare that meant he no longer needed this useless companion by his side. He bellowed at him, "Such a disappointment. Perhaps you would be better off if you didn't even existed."

Nappa shook his head and begged Vegeta for his mercy, but the Saiyan Prince knew it would be worthless if he still had Nappa by his side. What was the use of him anymore?

Vegeta began to power up as electrifying lights swarmed his body greatly. The entire place began to light up also. He gave his final words to Nappa. "Heh, heh…farewell!"

Goku felt Vegeta's power increasing rapidly. This almost frightened him, realizing how much potential he actually possessed. This could be only the beginning though. If he were to go full power, what will be the outcome then?

"How could he-?!" Goku said.

"HYAH!" Vegeta released a shocking energy blast towards Nappa. One of his most dangerous techniques, "Galaxy Breaker", it engulfed his comrade in an overwhelming amount of pain. The blistering, energy wave compressed Nappa's body. The Saiyan screamed in agony and exploded into nothing but piles of dusts. In addition to show what Goku will face soon, a taste of Vegeta's power, the Galaxy Breaker demolished some of the canyons and mountains in the background and half of the battlefield without the pulverizing energy blast having to touch its environment one bit.

This unpredictable force shook the atmosphere and disrupted any devices and machines. This interfered with even Fortuneteller Baba's crystal ball's connection with the battle between the two evil Saiyans and the Z-warriors, miles away from Kame House!

"Oh!" Baba had to move away from her crystal ball since it was flickering small, electric sparks like a machine malfunctioning.

"What's going on?" asked Master Roshi.

"My crystal ball's losing connection," Baba said. "That Saiyan's power is tremendous! Aah!"

Her crystal ball gave its last spark and soon, it lost connection with the battlefield that allowed everyone in the room to see the fight between the Z-fighters and the two Saiyans. It will be a long time before her crystal ball can reboot itself again.

"What?!" Bulma yelled. "How are we supposed to know what's gonna happen now?!"

"I don't even know," Master Roshi said nervously.

Chi-Chi was even more anxious. She was only praying for the best of everything.

Once everything was calm again, Vegeta stood on an isolated canyon. He looked to his left, then to his right, and then he looked above, noticing Goku, Gohan, Krillin, Raditz, and Bardock floating in mid-air. They knew that the blast was well dangerous and needed to keep a distance away from it.

Vegeta and Goku remained silent and soon, their eyes met with a sense of flowing power, danger, yet with slight excitement. How surprised Goku was to kill his own comrade like that. Bardock and Raditz were a bit concerned too if Goku was actually ready to face this regal and merciless Saiyan.

"_What kind of an enemy is he?" _Goku questioned.

"Hmph! Raditz!" Vegeta suddenly called him. "Be thankful that I won't have to do the same thing to you and to the rest of your blasted friends and family…yet."

Raditz clenched his fists. Vegeta was this kind of person who if he said something, he meant it. He hoped Goku's training will lead them to their desired victory.

Goku was angrier, yet more worried about Vegeta's power. _"What's this? He has no heart at all and his strength just increased without warning."_

Goku continued to stare at Vegeta's ominous eyes while remembering an episode of his dangerous power as a result from his unforgiving Galaxy Breaker. Will Goku be able to overcome the Prince of all Saiyans after witnessing his terrifying strength?


	35. Decisive Battle

Episode 35

Decisive Battle

**Dear readers**

**Sorry for the long-wait! It's been getting pretty busy around here, but I'm glad I was able to write another chapter. Hope you all enjoy!**

**Thanks!**

The Z-warriors instantly remained silent after witnessing Vegeta's remarkable and dominating power. Vegeta then gave them a long and grave glare.

Goku saw this serious expression of his. He kept himself calm, yet he was quite anxious as well. He had to admit that he did not know what the outcome will be in this next fight of his. He will just have to figure it out.

Finally, he now said, "Okay, I think it's about time. Please leave right now. I'll handle Vegeta on my own."

Raditz gave a worried look while Gohan was begging for his father to stay and rethink his decision.

"Don't worry about me, Son," Goku said to Gohan. "Never doubt your own father, okay? I promise, I'll return home."

"But Goku, did you see what he did?" Krillin tried to argue with him. "He killed his own comrade with just a single blast! How could you do this alone?"

Yet he only shook his head. He thought that the current decision he made was for the very best. "I can do this. You've already done your part. Don't worry. I bet King Kai's training could outsmart him, hopefully," he revealed some tone of uneasiness though.

Gohan bit his lips. "But Daddy…"

"Please, guys," Goku now begged. Time was running out and if they delayed any longer, Vegeta might start having thoughts that will put him and the rest of his family and friends in severe danger. "I don't want to see another person die anymore. It's best for you guys to stay out of this."

Krillin was getting frustrated especially Raditz.

"Kakarot...," Raditz fretted.

Bardock, however, agreed with Goku's decision. He felt he can truly trust his youngest son at this critical moment in time. "No, guys. Do as he says. We have to go now."

"But...!" just before Krillin argued more, he finally gave up. It was no use trying to change Goku's mind especially that ultimately, it will be his decision at the end. Maybe it was for the best. All he could do now was to wish his friend good luck instead. "All right then, but you be careful out there. I would hate to imagine what could ever happen to you."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine, I promise," Goku nodded.

"Be safe, okay, Dad?" Gohan tugged his father's arm. He wanted to make sure that he will come back alive and in good shape.

"I will, Son. I'll give him a lesson he will never forget," Goku then ruffled his son's hair. He smiled. "After we set things right, we can go for a delicious picnic and go fishing, all right?"

Gohan was happy to hear this. "Yeah!"

"Kakarot, a word of advice," Raditz now told him. "Don't bother grabbing his tail. Vegeta had already surpassed that weakness."

"Really? All right, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks," Goku said. Then, one more time, he looked at his fallen friends. He vowed that he will avenge their deaths by beating Vegeta this time.

"By the way," Krillin began as he remembered something very important, "Yamcha told us something before he died, and I bet Tien, Chiaotzu, and Piccolo would've told you the same thing too. They said 'thanks' for everything you had done for us."

Goku knew what he meant and he smiled upon this. He knew at this point in time that he must not let his friends and family down. He will _never_ let them down. He will stay and fight to put an end to Vegeta's wrath.

Vegeta was listening to them all along and thought that what they were saying was ridiculous; as if they were so sure they can actually beat the Saiyan Prince. "You better hurry up or else your friends will blow up to space dusts before you know it, Kakarot."

Goku gave a look and chuckled nervously. He knew he meant his words and he was proud saying them. "Woah, he's rather impatient, is he? He's pretty determined though," he remarked.

Just then, Krillin put his hand out in front of Goku and reminded him something about their friendship. "Goku…we grew up together when we were young. Just make sure, we'll grow old together too."

Goku grabbed Krillin's hand as a gesture of their friendship. "Right. I could've never asked for a better friend than you, Krillin."

"Make sure that whatever you did to Nappa, you'll do the same to Vegeta! Got that?" Krillin asked.

"Of course!" Goku nodded.

"Goodbye, Daddy," Gohan continued to hold onto his father's arm.

Goku comforted his son by placing his hands on his child's tensed shoulders. "See ya, Gohan. I'm very proud of you, you know," he then asked a favor. "Hey, I bet your mom is at Kame House now. Go give her a big hug for me, okay? Can you do that for me, Gohan?"

Goku then laughed happily, which made Gohan shed a little in tears, but a warm smile appeared on his face also. He knew that his father can do this. He was the strongest fighter there was. "Yes!" Gohan exclaimed.

Goku then turned to Raditz. "Whatever happens to me, Raditz, please take care of my son, all right?"

"Yes, Kakarot, but I'm confident you can do this," Raditz enlightened him. "Your training will pay off into something. That, I know."

Goku found himself smiling again. "Thanks, Raditz. I'm proud to have a brother like you."

Raditz then lightly punched him on the shoulder, and this gave his little brother more boost of confidence. Raditz was proud to have a sibling like him. At first, he hated him so when he arrived on Earth at the beginning, thinking that he was nothing but a disgrace to the Saiyan race, but now, he had corrected these mistakes and faults of his when he changed at heart, realizing that there was more to life than what he used to do before. Goku was someone who had done honorably to this world. He was a strong and fearless, yet a compassionate and forgiving warrior. Raditz realized at this moment that there was no other Saiyan warrior who could be as great as his brother was.

For Goku, he was just eternally grateful to have a changed brother like Raditz. He was indeed a truly special being. He was also proud to have a brother like him.

"And...Father?" Goku now turned to Bardock.

Bardock simply nodded to him, but his eyes were always the ones who revealed most of his emotions. They were filled with a lot of faith and hope for his youngest son. His visions did not lie, and they never lied about Goku being one the most respectable and formidable fighters in the universe. He only had one thing to say to him. "I'll be waiting for you to come back strong and alive, Son."

"I will, Father. I will," promised Goku.

The two then grabbed each other's hands. Bardock mentally passed his fatherly strength to him so that his son here may fight without any fear or doubt. Goku willingly received this given strength from him and he carried it near to his heart. He will need all the good luck, the valor, and support he can get in order to move forward and reach for the victory that the Earth had been holding on to wait for.

Goku took one last look at his friends and family. They were the very ones who always gave him strength of mind and morale in battle above all, and he was very gratified for this.

He slowly descended from the skies, but not touching the surface of the land yet.

Vegeta's eyes tracked down his movements. "Are you about done now, Kakarot?"

"I think there's a better place I have in my mind to settle this fight," suggested Goku seriously.

"Wherever. Just lead the way," Vegeta insisted.

Goku took immediate flight and departed to locate a new battle arena without any more delay in time. Vegeta caught up with him afterwards. Their figures quickly disappeared in the horizons and they were soon gone.

"Goodbye, Daddy," Gohan sadly wished him all the luck in this world.

"Be safe, Goku," Krillin thought to himself.

The remaining Z-warriors just floated in air for a while, wishing everything will be all right.

Goku and Vegeta were soaring underneath the clouds. Goku continued to search for an ideal battle site where they can fight without distractions and without any creatures living in it, so they may not harm them.

Goku glimpsed at Vegeta who had a smirk on his face this entire time. _"Man, he's really fast. Even though it looks like he had already taken a few punches before I arrived here on Earth, he can keep up with me just fine. I don't like the feel of this,"_ he said to himself.

After a moment or two, Goku had entered an empty and cold place called "Rocky Mountains", which consisted of nothing but rocks, boulders, plateaus, and cliffs. Goku then abruptly disappeared out of sight. Vegeta was a bit surprised, but he knew that his next challenger here had found their battle arena where they can settle this fight once and for all. He vanished as well.

Goku re-emerged on the top of a low-leveled cliff. Few seconds later, Vegeta appeared on the other side of a taller canyon.

They had a stare-down for a while. The silence was drifting as time was.

Soon, Vegeta cut the silence. "Kakarot, I have a proposition for you."

Goku did not say anything, but listened to him.

"I can only say this once so listen closely," Vegeta said. His regal appearance then gave a different, strange vibe in the air, a sign that he was indeed a very powerful and prevailing Saiyan Prince who could never possibly be exceeded by anybody. "I, Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, ask you, Kakarot, to stand by my side as my worthy companion. With that dishonorable Nappa a mere no more, I could use a good man."

Vegeta then grinned. He tried to convince Goku to join him instead to become one of the strongest Saiyan warriors not in the entire world, but in the entire galaxy. "Take this into consideration. You can have anything you want and yet, there's no one in the universe who can lay a finger on us. Nothing would be out of your grasp. What do you say to that, Kakarot?"

Goku already knew the answer to this proposition of his. He did not need world domination or anything like that to make his life better. He knew that kind of decision was most unwise. He knew that his life at home with his family and friends was way better than craving for more power. "I have everything all I need here on Earth: my home, my friends, my wife, my son, my long-lost brother and father, whom I'm most thankful to be with them now, and lastly, simply, just myself. So I have to say…no thanks."

Vegeta was a little confused.

"Besides, the way your treated your companion really changed my thoughts about you," Goku added to his reasons.

Vegeta only chuckled for easily rejecting his offer. He knew he was making a huge mistake, at least to the prince's eyes. "All right, so be it, you low-class. You had your chance, but now, you will find yourself locked up behind the gates of wrath. You can't turn back. It'll be difficult to surpass this superior Saiyan elite who stands before you now!"

"Hmph," Goku, this time, smiled with confidence. He was not troubled at all. "You may believe that strength alone is the only way to win a fight, but you must know that it takes good thinking and strategy and a lot of faith and belief to win a battle."

Goku then stood as an unwavering and fearless fighter. "In any kind of fight, even a low-class can surpass an elite if he works hard enough and has enough faith in himself."

No other words were spoken after this. Vegeta's smirk started to fade away a little. He could tell that there was no fear written on his eyes...yet. His pride though was proudly displayed for his opponent to clearly see. He wanted to prove to him that he was wrong in his thinking.

Goku knew what he was thinking and he, too, will prove that he was also mistaken in his thoughts. It was time to show this Saiyan Prince what a true Saiyan was really made of!

Vegeta readied himself in his fighting stance. Goku went to his fighting position as well.

The winds howled and the clouds were moving quickly, but the two warriors remained in their positions as steady as they can be. They were waiting for a signal, a sign...the moment Goku heard a shift from Vegeta's feet, Goku took the initiative at once.

"HYAAH!" Goku yelled with extraordinary power and might.

Vegeta grinned.

Their real battle had finally commenced!

Goku vanished and instantly teleported in front of him, his hand drawn back, about to give a fearsome fist to his opponent's face. Vegeta although crossed his arms to defend himself. He then pushed Goku back with a force field and he quickly went for a swift sidekick. Goku saw this coming and evaded it. As a result, Vegeta's foot crushed the surface of the canyon instead. When he looked up, Goku clasped his hands together and were about to give a heavy strike straight to his enemy's head. Vegeta smirked and this time, disappeared out of sight. He reappeared from behind and readied for a rapid punch. Goku sensed this, however, and he quickly turned around and blocked his incoming assault by countering with another punch of his, equal in force and strength. Both of their fists collided and created a jolting shockwave. From there, Vegeta and Goku powered up and went all-out.

They were engaged in a blows crash, their feet and hands doing all the work and releasing their power to inflict damage to one another. Neither the two of them did not seem to falter yet. Vegeta was able to find a chance to counter, in which he took it and shockingly knee-struck Goku on his stomach. Goku did not feel that much pain, therefore, he surprised him back by countering with a whirling sidekick to his opponent's face. Vegeta's head jerked a little to the side, but he was still grinning. At the same time, the two warriors collided with their fists once more. They were both pushed back again from the force.

"Man, he's really good!" Goku exclaimed. "He's a tough challenge."

Vegeta folded his arms and sneered.

"But I will still beat him," Goku was confident.

"Come on, Kakarot. What's wrong?" Vegeta questioned while laughing. "If your father was able to give me quite a decent fight, you can at least make this one even better. I've already been disappointed quite enough."

"Don't worry. You'll get one soon enough," Goku told him. From there, he bent his arms and legs and he charged with power. He gave a loud, battle cry, increasing his latent strength and defense. Soon afterwards, his entire body had shades and highlights of crimson red including the color of his own aura. He was now in his Kaioken form.

"HYAH!" Goku shouted once more and awarded Vegeta with a slight smirk. He then yelled, "KAIOKEN ATTACK!"

Goku strongly performed a palm strike, releasing an invisible force field that broke the canyon underneath Vegeta's feet. Vegeta jumped to avoid this, but as soon as he ascended into the air, his opponent had unexpectedly rushed in front of him and delivered a straight punch to his stomach.

"Uwagh!" Vegeta shouted in pain, now feeling the incredible attack power of the Kaioken for himself. He was quite surprised on how quickly he was, for this battle, for him to receive pain already. This was very unusual for him, but most of all, it was very frustrating.

Goku's right hand suddenly sparked like a lightning bolt as he sent a swift, diagonal punch to his opponent's abdomen. He immediately finished his Kaioken Rush by doing a rush combo, which included quick jabs first and then sharp and precise punches. Goku quickly turned a full circle and went for a hook kick, injuring Vegeta's side, and lastly, he was sent away with a flawless sidekick. Goku turned around once more and at the end, his right hand had already gathered a significant amount of energy force. He finished his attack by releasing a direct force field to his opponent, blowing him away further.

Vegeta took time to get back on track. Through burning rage seething in his heart, he stopped immediately from getting blown away any further. Soon, he realized that his lips already had blood on them, which instantly angered him. Not only did Bardock was able to draw blood from a noble like him, but Goku was able too, and in just a short amount of time in this intensifying clash of theirs.

The Saiyan elite knew he was dealing with no ordinary low-class like Bardock. He had to admit that this battle may be a lot more challenging than he expected it to be, and he did not like the feeling of this.

"Kakarot!" the Saiyan Prince suddenly bellowed at him.

Goku rushed head-on, his body and aura still emanating crimson, red colors. He was coming towards him at an incredible speed. Vegeta almost had a hard time anticipating his movements.

Goku suddenly teleported below Vegeta, his left fist attempting for a fast uppercut, but luckily, Vegeta avoided it just in time. He did not anticipate, however, Goku's right fist unexpectedly then sending a powerful, crushing blow to his stomach. Vegeta was forced to spurt blood.

The Saiyan Prince became very outraged to receive more pain again. He increased his speed in a flash, which gave him a sudden boost of momentum, and he countered back with a shocking right sidekick to Goku's side, pitching him away. Vegeta immediately fired a burning energy blast with his left hand. Once it made contact with Goku, it exploded and subsequently, made a fog that blocked both of their views for a short time.

Behind the clouds and smoke though, Goku continued to endure, his aura and body still glowing in red colors. He looked at Vegeta.

Vegeta grunted in little annoyance. "I have to admit, your Kaioken is quite a surprising technique, but don't let that get over your head. It takes more than a little power-up to beat me," he declared.

Goku looked at him more, puzzled.

"Is this the limit of your abilities?" Vegeta now tried to intimidate him. He bent his arms to his waist and from there, he powered up as well and now his body was surrounded in his own blue aura. "If it is, then you know that's not gonna save you."

A little smile appeared on Goku's face. "Eh, heh, heh. This battle is getting more complicated...but I kinda like the challenge of it."

For sure, both he and Vegeta were Saiyans. Even though this could be a battle where fate will decide between life and death, they could not help but feel the rush of excitement and thrill running in their veins as their passion for fighting stronger opponents grew.

Meanwhile, Gohan, Krillin, Raditz, and Bardock were slowly returning home. They were still feeling anxious and worried about what could be going on with Goku now. Even from many miles away, they could all feel how dangerous his battle with the Saiyan Prince will be.

The four stopped for a moment, turning around and looking back.

"Daddy, please be okay," Gohan said to himself.

"Don't worry, Gohan," Krillin placed a hand on the boy's right shoulder. "Believe in your dad. He's the strongest fighter there is."

Raditz felt his hands sweaty. He was quite nervous and he could not shake this feeling off. Should he really leave his younger brother fight such a relentless, merciless Saiyan of royalty like Vegeta himself? Raditz began to think that his brother may need some help after all even though he had already claimed he can handle this alone.

Bardock only gave a sigh. He moved on and went ahead to head to Kame House. The rest tried to catch up with him.

"Hold on, Bardock!" Krillin was asking him to wait for them.

Bardock continued to fly at a constant speed until he suddenly stopped. Gohan, Krillin, and Raditz halted as well.

"Hey, is something the matter?" now asked Krillin.

Raditz approached him. "It's Kakarot, isn't, Father?"

Bardock clenched his fists. He turned around and gazed at the horizons again. "Kakarot...a part of me believes that he can do this all by himself, but I can't just leave your brother like that."

Raditz looked the other way. "I feel the same way, too."

"As much as I want to help him also," Krillin said, "this kind of fight will be way out of our league. If we struggled hard just to somehow faze Nappa, imagine facing Vegeta."

Gohan though tried to give them some reassurance. "I'm sure my daddy will be okay."

"I don't know...," Bardock doubted.

Just before the four moved on once again, unexpectedly, a vision from the future came to view in Bardock's mind. Unlike most of his visions, this time, this certain foresight hurt so much, it distracted him from his thoughts and sensation.

"Aah!" Bardock felt he was literally undergoing a terrible headache pricking his mind. He began to hold his head with his two hands, trying to withdraw from this unexpected pain.

"Father, what's wrong?!" Raditz quickly went to him.

"Grandpa, are you all right?!" Gohan asked anxiously.

"Yo, Bardock, snap out of it!" Krillin did not understand the meaning behind this strange behavior he was showing now.

Bardock clenched his teeth, his head perspiring while breathing heavily. The pain was torturing his mind, but the vision that appeared to him was very clear. It was a prelude to great danger if he was not there with his youngest son, Goku.

In this vision, he saw an oversized ape, dressed in Saiyan armor. His glowing red eyes and sharp fangs with a bellowing voice dreadfully frightened the fighter in front of him who was only ten times smaller than his overpowering, towering size. The small fighter appeared battle-damaged and weakened, and it seemed like he only had little energy left to spare, yet his face was still in resolute to win this battle one way or another, but he just did not know how.

That vision then ended. From there, the ache in Bardock's head faded away so suddenly as if it was only a pure figment of his imagination. He slowly released his hands from his head and he stood up straight.

"What the? Bardock, what was that all about?" Krillin asked him with so much confusion.

"Father?" Raditz had been seeing this strange behavior of ever since a year ago, and it was worrying him day by day. "What's the matter? You just-"

"The future," Bardock suddenly uttered.

"Huh?" Krillin, Raditz, and Gohan all said in unison.

"No, I need to change the future!" Bardock now said, turning around. His expression awfully looked frightened and anxious as if something was haunting him for the past few days.

"'Future'? What are you talking about, Grandpa Bardock?" asked Gohan.

"What future are you talking about?" Krillin questioned.

"Darn it!" Bardock began to say. His hands curled more into fists, the look on his face now becoming frustrated with his body tensed. "I'm going to go help, Kakarot! He's going to be in trouble!"

"What?" Raditz exclaimed. "Kakarot's in trouble? But how do you know-?"

However, Bardock did not linger around any longer. He took full speed and from there, he dashed in the skies, rushing at the fastest speed he could have ever done. His flight left surges of white waves and blasts of air behind. It took a while for Raditz and the others to fully gain understanding of what just happened.

Raditz then shook his head. "Father, wait up!" he took immediate flight and tried to catch up with him.

"Uncle! Grandpa!" Gohan quickly followed them as well.

Krillin realized he was immediately getting left behind. He had no other choice but to also follow them. "Gosh, what's going on really?!" he asked himself as he took off.

While they were hurrying to return to help Goku, Goku's intense battle against Vegeta's raged on. The two fearless fighters were exchanging blows once more, releasing a flurry of dynamic and power-driven punches and kicks. Their strengths heightened, their auras clashed at each other, producing blinking sparks and trembling vibrations in the atmosphere. Each of their attacks was direct hits and pain was surely felt from all of them, but the two relentless warriors did not seize until one of them finally backed down. Goku and Vegeta then suddenly canceled their exchange of blows as they gripped each other's hands and hit each other's foreheads simultaneously. Their auras surrounding them grew and continued to spark tremendously.

Vegeta was able to gain the upper-hand as he suddenly knee-struck his challenger to his stomach, inflicting damage to him. Goku was forced to release his grip on his enemy. This was taken to advantage as the merciless prince went for a grueling punch straight to his opponent's cheeks, his gloved hand sparking in white electricity.

Both of them were now breathing heavily. They stopped battling for a moment.

Goku wiped the blood from his lips. He was feeling weariness already especially that he was withholding his Kaioken for long periods of time, but he smiled again, that smile of his that always showed, meaning that he was not ready to surrender yet.

Vegeta gave a grunt when he saw that expression. _"This fool. He has no idea what he's up against. But this power he's been displaying, I feel like this is not really his full power yet. I need to find out soon."_

Goku slowly readied in his stance again, mentally calming himself while staying vigilant to his adversary's next imminent assault.

"Well, well," Vegeta told him. "You may continue to keep this up, but at this rate, your energy will continue to diminish slowly. You better think of another plan or else, you will lose sooner than you think."

However, Goku simply chuckled at this. He believed that if he were to push his efforts to a great deal of amount, his training will pay off and he can surpass Vegeta. "Heh. Didn't I already tell you? Even a low-class warrior can pass an elite if he works hard enough and believes in himself."

"Hah! How touching!" Vegeta laughed and continued to boast about his power, "but let me tell you, you don't even know what you're up against."

Vegeta commenced to power up more. His blue aura enlarged while it continued to surround him, releasing strong currents of air and shockwaves from his body. The background which enclosed him was reacting to his change of strength.

While soaring quickly within the endless skies, Bardock noticed a slight change of weather above him. "The skies are getting darker. I wonder why," he focused up ahead. "Need to get there fast!" he took even more speed, now moving like a comet in the darkened skies.

Vegeta continued to power up, his battle cries echoing in the air. The winds became aggressive, distracting Goku for a second. The Saiyan Prince took this mere distraction to his advantage by vanishing suddenly.

"Huh? Where'd he go?" Goku tried to sense his energy, but for some reason, he could not feel a thing.

Vegeta suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "You're finished!" he roared, surprisingly striking Goku with a ravaging punch and followed with another blow straight to his chest, propelling him away.

Goku was surprised. He was either caught off-guarded or perhaps his enemy's speed and strength had just escalated, which made him worry a little. Goku regained his balance, but he lost track of his enemy once more.

"Can't find me?!" Vegeta unexpectedly appeared again, landing a surprising blow to his back this time.

"Augh!" Goku screamed in pain, but he tried his best to ignore this. The moment he focused his attention in battle again, he realized that Vegeta was already above him, coming for a hard, heavy strike with his fists clasped together.

Goku had no other choice but to raise the stakes a little more. "Kaioken x2!" his red aura reacted to his chant and now he held twice as much power, defense, and ability.

He leaped from the ground and evaded Vegeta's incoming attack. The Saiyan Prince was infuriated to let his opponent escape from him every time there was an opportunity for him to strike. He tried to counter by firing an energy blast, but Goku saw this and deflected it, splitting the energy blast into two and blasting a few canyons in the background instead. Goku rushed head-on before his opponent will get his chance to switch to the offensive side again.

Vegeta gathered even more energy to fire the same blast towards his opponent. Goku sidestepped a bit, but he miscalculated an inch, in which the energy blast burnt a little of his clothes on his left shoulder instead. It made a gash on his collar bone, too, and it bled a lot.

Vegeta chuckled softly. "You were lucky to dodge that. If you hadn't, you would've been long gone."

Goku gripped his teeth together. "_Man, what incredible power. I better think of something fast. I'm not sure how long I could keep this up,"_ he thought to himself. After pondering for a while, he suddenly looked at his right hand. He then curled it into a fist. Soon, he took a very difficult decision to push his Kaioken limits once more.

"Sorry, King Kai," Goku looked up at the skies, directly speaking to him. "This is the only way I could think of now to finish the job. If the double Kaioken won't work, I guess a triple can help me win this!" he said with pure determination.

Goku took off his torn clothes and threw them on the ground, exposing his top body, which showed his wounds and severe bruises.

"It occurs to me," Vegeta said, noticing the panicked-like look on his face, "that you don't have the heart now to continue."

"Don't lay off on me. Feel free to go any time," Goku warned him as he was prepared to take some ferocious attacks without fear.

At one corner, somebody was watching this very crucial battle. It was not Bardock, Raditz, Gohan, or even Krillin, but it was Yajirobe. Yajirobe did say so himself that he wanted to keep away from the battle that was happening on Earth today, but he cannot take the pressure anymore. He reluctantly went to see how his companions were holding up, and now, this had led him to witness Goku's battle against Vegeta.

"_Goku's insane if he's gonna keep this up,"_ Yajirobe said to himself. _"It looks like his enemy is not backin' down one bit!"_

Vegeta realized that he and his opponent were still having this long stare-down, the both of them wondering who should attack first. It was slightly ticking him off.

"Well? Aren't you going to make your first move or should I go first then?" Vegeta asked; now hungry for action which will pummel and destroy his opponent until he was nothing but dust.

Goku closed his eyes and increased his strength, defense, and ability once more. His muscle tone further grew, his aura developed more variety of light and shadows of red, and it shone vibrantly in the air. "This is it. Here goes nothing! Kaioken x3!"

King Kai, who had been watching this very crucial battle all along from his planet ever since Nappa and Vegeta set foot on Earth, became shocked and worried to realize Goku's decision of risking his life by taking the Kaioken beyond what he could handle. "Goku, no! I told him not to go beyond double. At that point, he can obliterate himself! I'm not sure if his body could hold that much power. Goku, you have to be careful!"

Bubbles reacted to what he said by making noises and beating his chest with his arms. He circled around as the monkey was as equally as worried as King Kai was.

Gregory though encouraged Goku to move forward. "Whatever happens, come on, Goku. You can do it. Beat the heck out of 'im!"

Goku gave a battle yell. His crimson red aura now enveloped him like a pure shaft of protective light and shield. His muscles had grown, his hair and his blue belt were drifting and gliding with the winds artificially generated from his own power and aura, and his eyes were almost fierce red.

This sudden change of power in him, it made Bardock, Krillin, Gohan, and even a little for Raditz to sense such an immense essence up ahead. Bardock thought it was the strongest and most potent energy he had ever felt.

"Kakarot, is that power coming from you? It's enormous!" Bardock exclaimed in surprise.

Gohan also felt it too. "Daddy?"

"Gohan, wait up!" Krillin was finally able to catch up with him. Before he insisted that they should all turn back, he noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong, Gohan?"

"My dad feels so different," Gohan's eyes were fixed on the horizon still.

"Huh?" Krillin tried to sense what the young boy was sensing. Soon enough, he felt it as well. "Woah! That's amazing. Is that coming from Goku?"

Goku's triple Kaioken evoked a distinct and mysterious ambiance now to Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince was suddenly alerted to notice this unexpected change of power in him. He thought to himself that he was absolutely different this time, and he felt he could not move because of this sudden fear tingling down his spine.

Goku's calming aura kept on surround him, but the moment he locked his eyes on Vegeta, which told him he was ready to do more serious battle, his aura burst and spontaneously sparked.

"HYAAH!" Goku flew towards him at an incredible rate in which Vegeta did not possibly anticipate it. The Saiyan Prince felt terrified, much more terrified than when he was facing Bardock, or perhaps was equally as terrified as he suddenly saw Bardock in Goku, revealing the raging fierceness in his eyes.

Time was too short to comprehend what happened, not too long, Goku had landed an astonishing, powerful blow to his opponent's face. His opponent was blown back at full force and he could not stop himself this time; his royal blood flew off from his lips. Goku enhanced his speed and used Super Dash to get behind Vegeta in a split second. Using great tempo and force combined, Goku gave him a two-feet-strike to his back, sending his opponent away.

Vegeta bit his lip, feeling the pain tightly clenching the inside of his body. He was immobilized for a moment, but his rage quickly took him back to reality. He opened his eyes wide and glared at his very unpredictable opponent. He clenched his fists tight and then headed towards Goku in an almost blind rage. This kind of fury though actually bestowed the elite a sudden boost of power.

Just when Goku was about to present him his next attack, Vegeta quickly gathered energy into both of his hands as he will not let him try to win this battle. After he finished collecting enough energy, he did his "Super Energy Wave Volley" in which he attempted to barrage his opponent with multiples of fiery and damaging homing blasts.

Goku endeavored to evade them all, the energy waves then blasting the grounds instead. His tripled Kaioken, however, was quickly bringing him to great exhaustion. He could feel his body tiring out. He did not want this to happen yet, but unfortunately, it was. He must figure out a way somehow, and very quickly, on how to overcome Vegeta. This Saiyan of nobility was not someone who would give up very easily, and for his enemy to carry such an immense amount of strength still, this was Goku's hardest challenge yet. It could be one of the toughest battles he ever had to face.

"Huh?!" Goku miscalculated an angle; therefore, one of the energy blasts hit him straight to his chest. He instantly felt searing pain that stopped him for a while. He did not realize that another one was coming to him fast and it attempted to obliterate him.

"You're finished!" Vegeta declared.

Goku thought he will not make it out in time. He covered his body with both of his arms in built resistance and prepared for the worst until someone saved him all of a sudden. That person deflected the last energy blast away, letting it explode in the background instead. That figure then brought his right arm forward and quickly released a Full Power Energy Wave headed straight towards the Saiyan elite.

"Rrrgh!" Vegeta growled, easily evading the fast energy beam, but barely, leaving a small gash on his left arm instead.

Goku opened his eyes to see who saved him. He was surprised to know that it was Bardock. "Bardock!" he cried out.

"Hey," Bardock turned around with a small grin on his face.

"Wha-what are you doing here?" Goku quickly asked him. "What about Krillin, Raditz, and Gohan? You need to go, Father! It's too dangerous here!"

"It's all right, Kakarot," Bardock tried to reassure him. He then laid his eyes upon Vegeta's, giving him a serious glare. "You may need our help after all."

"But," Goku refused a little for he did not want any of his friends and family to get hurt anymore. "I can't just-"

"I told you. It's all right, Kakarot," Bardock repeated himself. "Besides," he turned around again with another smile, "families should always stick together, right?"

Goku blinked in uncertainty. Then, at that moment, he realized that he may need some support after all especially after experiencing Vegeta's true power as the Prince of all Saiyans; therefore, he was glad for his father to be by his side now.

"Heh," Goku chuckled a little. "Thanks, Dad."

"You don't have to thank me," Bardock said, fixing his red bandanna and then his wrist armors. "It's just my instincts as a father, so you can't really stop me on that."

"Hah, hah!" Goku cannot help but laugh. He was just thankful to have such a great father like him.

Vegeta gave a solemn look. He did not like Bardock being here now; not because he cannot handle two fighters at one time, but it was because he wanted to settle the scores with Goku, and only between the two of them without anyone interfering...

...although Vegeta thought he may also needed to settle the scores with Bardock as well since he was the very first Saiyan warrior who had faced him formally, had shown remarkable strength unusual for a low-leveled soldier, and had survived for this long against him. He was basically not done with him yet. If Raditz was here also, considering he had trained to his upmost limits just to endeavor to surpass him, he must be carrying the same kind of hidden strength like Goku and Bardock.

Goku and Raditz were the sons of Bardock, and the three held something in common and that was the same determination, unending strength of will, and noteworthy, unpredictable power. This was what Vegeta observed, but he knew that as long as he kept his own power to unparalleled lengths, he should not trouble himself surpassing them.

"So, Bardock, you've come also to join in this life-and-death battle?" intimidated Vegeta. "I can't guarantee you that you and your son will come out alive from this."

Bardock just shook his head and gave a look. "Don't try to underestimate us, Prince."

Vegeta placed his arms to his waist as he powered up with his blue aura enclosing him once more. "All right, then come at me then! Let's begin the next round, shall we?" without delay, he headed towards the two Saiyan warriors.

Bardock and Goku stood side by side. They slightly shifted their feet back, then lifted themselves up and rushed towards Vegeta at once. When the three were near each other, they immediately switched to the offense and gave everything they can.

Both father and son this time teamed up together to bring him down. Their combined techniques and different fighting styles caused Vegeta to have an even more difficult time to forestall their fast-moving, vigorous moves.

Bardock and Goku attempted for sharp roundhouse kicks, but Vegeta blocked their attacks with his arms. He quickly thrust out a force field, blowing the two away with the current of air. Vegeta first attacked Bardock, bombarding him with a storm of straight punches to his stomach. Just about he was going to finish this rush combo of his, Goku tried to sneak up from behind to hit him with a fast punch. Vegeta saw this from the corner of his eye, however, and he quickly dodged it. Immediately, he clutched him and utterly pitched him against Bardock. In addition, he went for a rapid stomp to Goku's stomach, the attack's mighty vigor hindering Goku a little. Both father and son then made a huge fall on the ground, scattering particles and rocks up in the air.

Vegeta did not halt from there. He charged head-on to finish them as quick as he could. Suddenly though, Bardock and Goku hurriedly regained their focuses in battle, and they immediately disappeared, leaving the prince frustrated. Just before Vegeta struck the ground, Goku emerged to his left and presented a successful strike to his face. Vegeta became distracted and as this disruption obscured his focus, from below him, Bardock came into view and sent a high sidekick to his face, propelling him towards the eternal skies.

The Saiyan Prince struggled to recover back on track, but it was a little too late for him as Bardock and Goku had already advanced towards him and simultaneously gave hook punches to wreak damage on their opponent. The two then went for proceeding knee strikes, one on Vegeta's stomach and one on his back. Because of this unbreakable, outstanding teamwork, this caused for the elite's armor to break a little with pieces of it falling off.

Vegeta yelled in pain, and it was the first time to hear himself in a great deal of agony. He bit his lip and persisted to get his concentration back that he briefly lost, but to his great disbelief, he realized he had to take a little rest. He resurfaced on the ground, almost losing his coordination, but he remained to stand. He breathed heavily and was fidgeting in pain.

This teamwork was proving to be very effective for the Z-fighters, but Goku's triple Kaioken was now making him light-headed. Goku almost lost his balance when he landed on the surface.

"Kakarot!" Bardock said, helping him stand on his two feet. He knew his son will tire out before long, and he will quickly start to harm his body as well soon due to the probable risks of his Kaioken.

"I'm fine," Goku tried to reassure his father.

The Saiyan Prince found himself kneeling on one knee now. He wanted to shake off this alarming feeling of fatigue and stinging ache trying to bind him down like chains. As much as he wanted to deny this, the reality was slowly opening up in front of him.

Vegeta started to wonder why Goku and Bardock could hold such a great deal of power. _"This is foolishness! How could this be?! I know I already injured Bardock enough from our previous battle, and I know this so-called Kaioken of Kakarot is something he can't handle any further, but...how could I not get up from this? They're just a bunch of low-class. I'm an elite! How is that possible?"_

After a moment of tensed stillness, Vegeta was allowed to endure more. He finally managed to get up from his weakened legs after giving himself a bit more time to rest. He stared at Goku and Bardock in pure rage. That expression on his face cannot be overlooked. Despite of this given pain, he was still displaying strong pride and firmness, implying to his enemies that he was not going to his downfall that easily. In fact, he will never allow himself to.

Bardock shook his head. "He can still get up from all of that?"

"He wouldn't even quit," Goku realized. "If that's the case, then I won't either," he was ready to begin battle another time until his right shoulder sore bit. "Ow! …but my body might be quitting on me."

"Kakarot, are you all right?" Bardock asked his son, trying to help him stand again.

"I'm fine, Bardock. Just a bit of soreness that's all. Heh, heh! Ngh," Goku laughed to try to forget about it, but just putting it aside from his mind will not do him any good.

Yajirobe continued to watch this battle from the same corner. He was anxiously waiting for Goku and Bardock to finish Vegeta off. _"What are you waiting for, guys? You got him where you wanted."_

Vegeta's anger was reaching its peak. The view of him actually getting beaten by two low-class soldiers now was something he will not put up with and accept as true. "I am a Saiyan of royal blood. I will not get humiliated like this. I _will_ destroy everything. Everything!" he shouted.

He felt he was going to go berserk. "Hear my words, Bardock, Kakarot! You're finished once and for all!"

He then wiped the blood from his mouth, his gloved hand now stained with his own blood. The moment he saw these red stains of royalty, his anger had reached its fullest. Vegeta furiously growled; his teeth clenched together. He held a fist in front of him as more fury festered within his chest. Then, his blue aura was emitted and surrounded him one more time as it erupted violently. Vegeta will never show any weaknesses or any signs of vulnerability to anybody for he was the Prince of all Saiyans.

Vegeta immediately drew his right arm back. He forwarded it and released a surprising energy blast straight towards the ground, distracting both Goku and Bardock from the foggy view. As the two tried to search for him from all this haze, Vegeta had already appeared behind them. He initially threw Goku a tremendous, driving strike to his back and then a terrifying frightening blow to Bardock's waist. Goku and Bardock were propelled away, but recovered back as they placed their hands on the rocky grounds and pushed themselves right back up. The moment they locked their eyes onto Vegeta though, he was drawing to them fast.

"RARGH!" Vegeta roared angrily, his aura dashing like a flying meteor. Once he neared them, there came a flash and a spark, and the three exchanged shots once again. The three were holding up longer than they expected it to be, but Vegeta was slowly gaining the upper-hand. Goku and Bardock were delivering rapid punches and kicks. Some were able to hit Vegeta, but the rest he was evading them quite swiftly, which made the two worry.

As Goku and Bardock gave graceful, crescent-like kicks all at once, Vegeta swayed his entire body to avoid their incoming attacks. With a plastered grin on his conceited face, he went for an overwhelming knee strike to Bardock's chin, jerking his head back, and then followed up with a powerful strike on his back. Vegeta quickly switched to his next target which was Goku, and he immediately threw a soaring punch to his chest, immediately stopping him from his tracks. Vegeta then dashed up high and used this acceleration to fly back down to gather enough force, sending an excruciating elbow strike to Goku.

Goku and Bardock were falling towards the ground. They painfully opened an eye, trying to endure this tremendous pain for they needed to carry on. Just before they hit the ground on their backs, the two of them immediately went to an upright position and landed strongly on their feet, creating a light quake from making contact with the ground. As their eyes locked firmly onto their opponent, Vegeta was already in front of them.

"HYAH!" Vegeta immediately went all-out on them, now taking his turn to deliver his swiftest, most skillful techniques he could have ever done. He used up a significant amount of his own energy just to give them the pain that they deserved.

Goku was still parrying his moves quite well, but Bardock was immediately faltering. Facing Vegeta the second time possibly in his full power state now, Bardock could not take the intensity of this any longer. Vegeta was able to bring Bardock down first by hammering him down to the soils of the Earth. Goku became furious after seeing this cruel damage done to his father. He made an effort to seize the coldblooded prince, but Vegeta was able to knock him down as well with a surprising, striking blow to his face.

At the end, Vegeta brought his left leg up and did a powerful hook kick across his opponents' stomachs. After he spun a full circle, he leaped into the eternal firmaments, his body underneath the bright sun. He began to place his hands together to his left side and from there, he gathered an immense amount of energy that seemed almost incalculable to measure.

Bardock and Goku quickly arose from these grounds of defeat for they will never succumb to defeat itself. They strove to find their opponent again. They looked up and saw him floating in the skies. His sapphire-like aura had now changed into a color of fierce violet, and his aura intensely ignited like angry flames.

The enraged look on Vegeta undoubtedly expressed that he will not play games anymore, that he will take this seriously without second thoughts, and that he will finally put a conclusion to this overwhelming battle.

"Try to dodge this attack, you low-class soldiers!" bellowed Vegeta, his power dramatically increasing every second. "You will all be dead after I destroy this worthless planet!"

His immense power-up was making the grounds below him crumble. Rocks and particles were flying off and large fractures and crevices were being made on the surface due to the intensity of his overwhelming strength. His aura released shockwaves once more and these vibrations were in fact destroying several parts of the canyons and mountains in the background.

Bardock stood with his son in shock while Goku sensed his growing potential reaching dangerous heights.

"Oh no! Vegeta, stop!" Goku shouted back, knowing that whatever attack he was opting to do, it will certainly destroy this planet into nothingness.

This tremendous quake was now being felt even from miles away. Everyone at Kame House had no idea what was going on now with the rest of the Z-warriors, but they believed they were all in deep trouble.

"AAH!" everyone at Kame House screamed, losing balance and falling on the floor. Others were holding onto couches and chairs in panic.

"What's going on?!" yelled Oolong.

"Whatever it is, that power's so massive!" Master Roshi shouted.

Chi-Chi was screaming the entire time. She tried to hold onto her father who was also holding onto his daughter as well. As she did so, she thought about her family. "Gohan! Goku! Please be okay!" she begged.

At King Kai's planet, King Kai stood in great anxiety. He could sense the mounting, towering potential of Vegeta, which almost scared him to death. He wondered if all the intensive and demanding training he had given to Goku during the afterlife will still be enough to stop Vegeta in some way.

"Goku! You have to stop him somehow or else, your planet will be gone for good!" King Kai warned worriedly.

Vegeta was close in completion of his most perilous technique ever. It was the first time he will ever resort to this kind of technique given that he was currently in trouble of suffering loss from this battle. However, this also gave him a thrilled feeling inside, knowing that this imminent attack of his will certainly obliterate everything and everyone.

"Vegeta!" Bardock now shouted at the prince, demanding him to stop his intentions.

"It's your choice!" Vegeta grinned evilly. "But either way, you are all going to perish!" he clenched his hands more and further gathered strength. He laughed with great pride, his eyes ready to exterminate all life forms in this planet.

"No, I haven't fully recovered yet," Goku stuttered in worry, "but I guess...I have no other choice. It's now or never!" he charged up, his Kaioken x3 was fully activated.

Bardock yelled at his son and tried to prevent him from using his Kaioken form to any extent. "Kakarot, stop! It could destroy you this time!"

Goku refused, however, for this was no time to falter or hesitate now. "But we got to try. We can't waste any more time. We need to end Vegeta's terror and wrath!"

After he had said this, Goku quickly placed his hands together and he gathered masses amount of energy as well. He used all of his combined strength from his heart as well as the double-edge Kaioken in order to take control of this battle and bring upon victory to this world. The look on Goku's face revealed deep pain and fear, but in his heart, it was beating with more willpower and resolute to triumph over this challenging battle.

Bardock wanted to stop his son, but he saw a look in his eyes that meant his son really needed his father's help at this time. At that juncture, Bardock had no time to think or be reluctant about his judgment. He settled then in helping Goku instead in hopes that he and his son can prevail over Vegeta once and for all.

Bardock charged up some to give his "Saiyan Soul" a go. This helpful skill gave him a bit more energy, to at least help him move on a little more. It also increased his strength particularly in discharging super and ultimate attacks. This time, Bardock perfectly knew he will have to push further to his limits just like what his son was doing now.

The father of Goku instantly formed a dominant white, with traces of blue, energy orb floating on top of his right palm. It spun around calmly, but a moment later, it began to vigorously shine of luminous rays, which dispersed throughout the place. The rays coming from Bardock's hand soon became a brighter blue and white, and they synchronized with the now-emerging beams manifesting from Goku's hands also. His youngest son here was prepared to give the high and mighty Vegeta the true potential of his Kamehameha.

The battlefield continued to slowly fall apart, the grounds remained trembling, its stony mountains and canyons were collapsing as a result from the massive force and energy that were being given off from Vegeta, Bardock, and Goku.

Krillin, Gohan, and Raditz had finally arrived to this hectic scene and they were shocked to witness how the entire battlefield appeared like it was fading away. The three saw Goku and Bardock from afar, facing the Saiyan Prince who was carrying an unbelievable amount of power that had the capability to destroy everything in its path.

"What power!" Krillin exclaimed in surprise.

"Grandpa! Daddy!" Gohan cried out.

Raditz stood in silence and in shock. His former comrade Vegeta, like Nappa, was not the same as before. This Saiyan Prince had definitely changed since the last time he saw him. To see this new kind of destructive power Vegeta was displaying at the moment, Raditz knew he must take action and go aid his father and brother. He will not allow anyone else to die, and he will endeavor to halt Vegeta to the best he can.

"Rrrgh!" Raditz gave a grunt and his aura instantly surrounded him. He floated from the ground a few inches, and told Krillin and Gohan, "Stay back, you two! I'm going to help Kakarot and Father!"

Just before Krillin and Gohan prevented him from going any further, Raditz had taken wing and had hurried towards his family.

"Uncle Raditz!" Gohan cried out.

"Raditz, you can't!" Krillin yelled.

Bardock's powerful ultimate attack, his "Final Spirit Cannon", was finally completed as it became a glimmering, vibrant energy sphere shining on top of his right hand. This was the same attack he used against Frieza as a last ditch effort to stop him from destroying the Saiyans' home planet. He failed, however, for at that time, Bardock was no match against the galactic overlord. However, this next attempt of his to use the Final Spirit Cannon against Vegeta, he wanted to prove that he was someone who always grew stronger no matter what the circumstances were.

Goku's Kamehameha was all set to be launched at this instant. Together, both father and son took the risk of draining almost all their inner energies in order to take out Vegeta at this crucial moment in battle. All in their heads now was grabbing their wanted victory for the sake of Earth and its people.

Just before they and Vegeta released their ultimate, high-powered attacks, someone flew beside Goku and Bardock and stood with them. The two identical Saiyans looked to their right and it was Raditz who had arrived. He already had his right arm raised in the darkened skies as he readied for a strong technique of his.

"Raditz!" Goku exclaimed.

Bardock's eyes widened. "Raditz, what are you-"

"You guys will need my help, too," Raditz interrupted, his hand now blinking in revolving, white rays. "It's time to show Vegeta not to mess with us!"

Bardock and Goku stared at him for a second. Then, they both nodded, understanding him. They needed all the help they could get with the aim of leading Vegeta to his own downfall.

Now, Goku, Bardock, and Raditz, the three full-blooded Saiyans who were separated for a long time as a family, were reunited again. Their strengths from within, their true strengths as family, were giving them more hope for the future. The three were very glad that they can fight alongside each other and save Earth.

Vegeta noticed Raditz's arrival and then the three full-blooded Saiyans' indomitable spirits, which conveyed that they were not going to give up at all.

The Prince of all Saiyans had no choice but to consume more of his energy from within his body. "HYAAH!" he shouted. His aura blazed violently. This charge-up was giving him more strength for his incoming perilous technique to make sure it can take on all of Raditz's, Bardock's, and Goku's energy attacks.

Goku began his chant. "Let's see if he can take this on! Ka-me-ha-me-!"

"Grandpa! Uncle! Daddy!" Gohan shouted one more time while covering his body from the gusts of winds battering on his face.

Krillin felt he was being pushed back slowly from so much force. "This is unbelievable! But...they have to win this somehow!"

When that critical moment came when everything was to be decided, Bardock, Raditz, Goku, and Vegeta then lent out their loudest, piercing battle cries ever. Their fighting powers burst and exploded, generating more gusts of winds, invisible energy fields, and vibrating shockwaves into the atmosphere, which crushed the battlefield even more.

"This ends now!" Bardock finally released his Final Spirit Cannon. As it was discharged, it vigorously shone like the burning sun.

"Be gone!" another attempt to use this ultimate finisher of his, Raditz expended his remaining ounces of strength left he could spare. He fired a vast, intense beam surrounded with white and black lightning.

"-HA!" Goku drew his hands forward and fulfilled what probably could be the greatest and most enormous Kamehameha wave he had ever done in his entire life. It was accompanied with more helping strength from his triple Kaioken that due to its tremendous strength and force, it shattered more of the grounds underneath Goku, his father and older brother.

Vegeta's gloved hands now electrified in purple electricity. He also drew his hands forward and released a violet-colored, colossal energy wave, similar to a Kamehameha wave, straight at Goku and his family. "Galick Gun!" he cried and his voice echoed as if it will shatter the skies.

Yajirobe continued to watch this from the same corner. The bellowing winds tried to carry him away, but he managed to continue to hold onto a massive boulder from where he was hiding from. "Aah! What the heck?!" he screamed and panicked. "This is too much! I should've just gone back and ate more pizza!" and even at this time, he still thought about food.

Raditz's Be Gone, Bardock's Final Spirit Cannon, and Goku's Kamehameha exchanged shots and now they fought strongly in unison to confront and stand up to the overpowering Galick Gun of Vegeta. Vegeta's Galick Gun was something that should be brought to a standstill. It must not touch the surface of the Earth because if it were to make contact with this planet, even a slight touch, that would be the end for all of them.

Unfortunately, since Bardock and Raditz were already weakened due to great exhaustion and inescapable injuries from the previous battles received from Nappa and Vegeta, their energies were diminished to a great amount and their attacks were not as strong as they hoped for them to be; therefore, Vegeta's Galick Gun managed to slowly push back all three of their colliding energy beams struggling to overtake his.

"Rrrgh!" both Bardock and Raditz shuddered. The more they put greater exertion no other Saiyan could have ever done, the greater they were sapping all of their remaining strength from within them, placing themselves into even more danger and pain.

Goku's Kamehameha remained to keep Vegeta's Galick Gun at least in the middle, but Goku began to realize that the Saiyan Prince was still carrying an unbelievable amount of power left including his persistence and number one desire to accomplish what he intended to accomplish a long time ago, and that was to destroy him, his family and friends, and everyone along with them. Upon realizing this, the Kamehameha wave was also being pushed back.

"HAAH!" however, Raditz, Bardock, and Goku shouted even more to boost their spiritual strengths from the inside. They must move forward. They must win. It was the only way.

Raditz, Bardock, and Goku carried on to do triple teamwork despite of great fatigue and agonizing pain impeding their bodies back from continuing on any further. Nevertheless, regardless of their minds being in an assertive, courageous state, their enormous energy attacks were still being pushed back by Vegeta's Galick Gun bit by bit.

_"No!"_ Goku cried in his mind. _"He's winning! There should be some way…some way to overtake him! But how?!"_

As Goku frantically tried to think of a solution fast, suddenly, he, Raditz, and Bardock heard Vegeta yelling.

"Mark my words, you low-class!" he bellowed. "You'll never surpass me, the Prince of all Saiyans! RAARGH!" he raised his own stakes a little further by increasing nothing but all of his power. His Galick Gun suddenly took a giant step forward, pushing back the three energy waves and beams fighting him it back. This brought sharp pain to Goku especially to Bardock and Raditz who were already worn out, weakened, and in more torture than in Goku's current situation.

"Augh!" Bardock and Raditz felt themselves moved back a lot.

"Bardock! Raditz!" Goku grew concerned for them.

After Vegeta gave another battle cry, this time, an invisible force field was thrust out from his body, finally giving Bardock and Raditz the exact pain that now stopped them this time. They could not take it any longer.

"AUGH!" Bardock and Raditz both cried painfully. Their ultimate attacks were canceled and suddenly vanished into thin-air. The force field that was released from Vegeta shoved the two away, making them collapse and lie on the crumbling, shaking grounds beside Goku who was still standing, but struggling to a great extent.

"D-Dad! Ra-Raditz!" Goku yelled for them. Without anyone supporting him this time, Vegeta's Galick Gun took another giant step forward and consumed more of the Kamehameha wave. Now much to the fighter's deep fright, the Galick Gun was only a few feet away from consuming him and his family and everyone on Earth.

"Goku!" Krillin yelled from afar. Seeing how Bardock and Raditz were already down, he thought it could be the end for them.

"Daddy!" Gohan cried out as well. Tears had already fallen from his eyes because he was worried that his father will not win this.

Even so, Goku endeavored to last for as long as he could. Every bit of energy left in his body will be spent trying no matter what. When he witnessed his father and older brother now in dire straits that they, including the rest of his fallen friends who had already passed away before this battle, had to take even more hard work, had to endure more blood, more physical and internal pain, and more burdens and sacrifices even before Goku arrived here on Earth from the afterlife, when Goku somehow heard his best friend, Krillin, and his son, Gohan, as well as the rest of his family and friends who were still alive, but had to stay away from this decisive battle for they could not handle such a dangerous fight, as they were all pleading and begging desperately for Goku to win this battle no matter what, this lit a heightened, burning feeling inside of him.

King Kai was greatly trembling in worry. He was still watching this fight from his planet; a battle which only presented two options: either to succeed or suffer forever defeat. King Kai somehow sensed Goku's next plan though that was now thinking in his mind, and this almost made his heart stop. "No, Goku...you can't be serious! Don't do it! Stop!"

Goku will not let anybody down. He will _never_ let anybody down. He will triumph over this battle no matter what the costs were, even if it meant giving threat to his own life for the greater good!

"KAIOKEN X4!" Goku screamed, his voice echoing in the skies that was now filled with scattering, luminous lights. He raised the stakes even higher. He felt his muscles growing, his crimson, red aura now violently bursting without end. His power, speed, and ability had strengthened and increased beyond boundaries. More unbearable pain injured his body and he felt like burning from the inside. His Kamehameha instantly grew to an even more enormous size, more colossal and superior to Vegeta's overwhelming Galick Gun. The Kamehameha suddenly pushed the Galick Gun back giant steps. It was now being warded off and deflected greatly. This shocked the Saiyan Prince. He could not find the meaning behind this unexpected turn of events. He could not make sense why just now, the Z-warriors were winning this fight.

"Impossible! NO!" Vegeta cried out of pure disbelief.

Bardock and Raditz opened an eye while they still lay weakly on their sides next to Goku upon the shattering battlegrounds. To suddenly witness Goku being able to overtake Vegeta this time, they were convinced that this was no coincidence. It was a miracle.

"Kakarot...," Bardock whispered.

"...he's finally done it," Raditz believed.

"HAAA!" Goku yelled in his utmost spiritual strength, thinking of nothing but to win for the sake of his home, allies, friends, and family.


	36. Fierce Battle in the Night

Episode 36

Fierce Battle in the Night

**Dear readers**

**I forgot to mention this earlier, but thanks for your support and also your suggested ideas for my story. I truly appreciate them. If you find some of your ideas that you suggested to me in any of my chapters here, give yourself a pat on the back because I thought they were great ideas!**

**Thank you and hope you enjoy this chapter!**

The grounds continued to undertake heavy tremors and vibrations. The luminous, blinking white lights emitting from Goku's great Kamehameha attack, accompanied with the power of the quadruple Kaioken, were scattered throughout the entire battle arena, both in land and in air.

Goku's battle screams had reached among the highest of the eternal firmaments. His unwavering strength had passed beyond its boundaries and limits, and yet it continued to escalate seemingly without end.

The Kamehameha took its final take-on and ultimately, it surpassed and, devoid of reluctance, forced back Vegeta's now faltering Galick Gun.

"HAA!" Goku yelled one more time, his own fighting spirit bursting and exploding.

"NO!" Vegeta bellowed in complete disbelief.

Before long, the Kamehameha had consumed all of his Galick Gun and this time, blanketed the Saiyan Prince himself with its pure shaft of light. Vegeta was then sent away higher into the skies until he disappeared and was nowhere to be found.

After this happened, suddenly, everything returned to normal again, but the surroundings had completely changed. Many of the canyons and mountains of the area were now partially or almost destroyed. The surfaces of the land had huge crevices and gaps on them that some had split up into two divided grounds, making for huge and bottomless-like pits. Particles, rocks, and dust spread everywhere like thick fog and haze.

Goku remained where he was at with his hands still drawn out front as if to make sure his opponent, Vegeta, will not be coming back. The unrelenting fighter breathed heavily. Finally, he toned down his Kaioken form until he returned to his base state. His muscles had relaxed and his strength from within had settled down greatly.

Goku then stood straight and placed his hands back to his sides. He held his head high, closed his eyes, and took a deep inhale before he fell to his knees and let a strong breath out. Sweat drops plopped on the surface. He found himself gasping for a mouthful of air while this agonizing feeling of burning pain overtook his body.

At this time, Bardock and Raditz were slowly regaining their awareness back. Their exhaustion still persisted to keep them down, yet they strained to stand regardless. Soon enough, they were back on their feet. They felt a bit faint especially after consuming too much of their energy, almost down to none. They estimated it will take them weeks to come back fully revitalized.

They saw Goku still kneeling down as he tried to catch his breath. He felt he could not move a muscle at all.

"Kakarot," Raditz slowly knelt beside. "Can you get up?"

"Barely," Goku answered weakly.

Bardock tried to touch him, but even a soft touch, it made Goku feel an unusual excess of pain. "Augh!"

"Kakarot, are you all right?" asked Raditz with concern.

Bardock avoided to touch him again. "I'm sorry, Kakarot! I suppose the Kaioken had really gotten to you this time."

"Eh, heh. You tell me," Goku gave a light chuckle, but even a small laugh made his throat hurt as well.

Raditz shook his head. "The quadruple Kaioken could've killed you, Kakarot," he said with little frustration.

"I know, and I'm sorry I worried you all," Goku was aware how much tons of pressure this had brought upon his family and friends. "It's a miracle I'm still breathing, but I had to do it, you know. It was the only way to stop Vegeta. If not, he would've destroyed this world already."

His father and older brother agreed with him, however. There _was_ no other choice.

Yajirobe had witnessed the entire event. He was shocked, but also relieved. "I can't believe it. Goku's something all right! He finally did it. Yeah!" he began to cheer.

Even Krillin and Gohan felt relieved too. Their hearts still raced a moment for memories of what happened about that incident stayed in their minds, but they began to calm down slowly.

"I can't believe it," Krillin smiled a little. "Your father had done it again, Gohan. He saved the Earth again!"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah! But don't forget about Grandpa Bardock and Uncle Raditz. They helped my daddy. Maybe if they hadn't, things would've been a lot different."

Krillin agreed. "For sure, Gohan; I'm just glad that it's all over now."

Yajirobe finally came out from his hiding and sprinted towards Goku and his family. "Hey, you guys!" he waved.

Goku, Bardock, and Raditz heard this familiar voice and they all turned to their right. "Yajirobe?" they said in unison.

"Hey, I saw the whole thing, guys! Ya'll are awesome back there," Yajirobe spread his arms wide. "I didn't try to cheer so loud because I thought it would distract you guys."

"Heh, heh, thanks, Yajirobe," Goku weakly smiled.

"Man, you three all look worn-out!" Yajirobe exclaimed.

"Does it look obvious?" Bardock raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I think we kinda overdid it a bit," Goku remarked.

They briefly looked up at the skies. They realized that because of the powerful and chaotic energy collision that happened a while ago, it made the weather above them change. They realized that rain clouds were already covering the skies and this may continue on until evening.

"I feel like it's going to rain," Raditz thought to himself.

"Forget the weather. It means nothing," Yajirobe said. "You guys can have some time to get your strengths back, but my real question is...is it really over?"

Bardock fixed his eyes again at the clouded atmosphere. "At this rate, things look pretty calm. And...I don't sense him at all."

"Who you don't sense?" Yajirobe asked.

"Vegeta," Bardock answered.

"I'm not sure though," Goku needed to interrupt.

This time, the three were alerted to hear this.

"What did you just say, Kakarot?" Bardock now questioned him, his expression changing into a troubled one.

Goku looked at the skies also. He had to be honest with himself. "I didn't really destroy him, just slowed him down a bit."

"What?!" Raditz now exclaimed in frustration. "Kakarot, you could've finished him at that point. It was the only opportunity!"

"I know," Goku said, now bringing the volume of his voice down. He maintained that small smile on his face though even though he felt ashamed about it.

His older brother came to a conclusion that because of Goku's softness, _too much_ softness, had led him to spare Vegeta's life. Again, this was a weakness in Goku, that he was too merciful towards his enemies. Though it may make him a very honorable and respectable fighter, it may also lead him into his own downfall if he was not careful.

Bardock had to give a sigh of annoyance. "Kakarot, I would very much like to hit you on the head right now, but since you're too injured, consider yourself lucky to have me spare you."

"Hah, hah, hah!" Goku then burst out laughing. He could not tell if his father here really meant to hit him or it was only a hidden message of his deep concern and care for his son, that he did not want him to encounter any more dangers because of his current situation. "Yeah...I'm really sorry," all Goku could do now was to apologize.

Bardock and Raditz were not that frustrated with him, however. In fact, they wondered why Goku continued to laugh with happiness even though he just fought a life-threatening battle. He was definitely an unpredictable warrior filled with mysteries and surprises.

"Hold on!" Yajirobe interrupted. "You are sayin' that Vegeta's still alive? Well," he began to nervously rub his hands together, "if that's the case, I guess I should be going now."

Suddenly, Yajirobe instantly scurried to the same corner where he was hiding from or maybe even farther away from it. The three Saiyans watched him scamper off. Yajirobe glanced at them one more time and gave a hand gesture. "You guys got it all under control so I believe in you!" he then left.

Bardock and Raditz had a disappointed look while Goku continued to look at him in a confused way.

"Hey!" another voice cried from afar.

This time, Krillin and Gohan approached Goku, Bardock, and Raditz. They were all excited and thankful to see them doing all right.

"Krillin? Gohan?" Goku was surprised to see them here.

"Daddy, you were great!" Gohan said, throwing his arms around his father's neck and embracing him.

Goku yelped in small pain for his body was still too sensitive to pain, but the embrace of his son, of course, did not hurt afterwards. He hugged him back. "Gohan, hey...I thought I told you to go back to Kame House."

Krillin placed his hands on his waist. "Well, I tried stopping Gohan including Bardock and Raditz, but they were too concerned about you. I had to tag along," he laughed at the end.

"Daddy, I saw everything!" Gohan exclaimed. "You, Grandpa, and Uncle were great!"

"Yeah, and because of that, I bet Vegeta's long gone now!" Krillin was confident.

However, Bardock, Raditz, and Goku gave an upset look.

This made Krillin worry. "Hold on. Why are you guys looking like that? ...oh wait, don't tell me," he may know what it was, which made him quiver in fear again.

Goku shook his head. "I didn't really defeat Vegeta. I just kept him at bay for a moment, at least enough until I get my strength back."

"What?!" Krillin was now shocked this time. "Goku, you could've just finished him off. Why didn't you?"

"Heh, heh," he chuckled once again, now feeling more embarrassed by this. "Bardock and Raditz told me of the same thing, but I guess...I took a different decision instead."

Upon hearing this, Gohan began to fret a little. "Daddy..."

Goku saw that anxious look on his son's face again, but he tried to keep him calm. "It's all right, Gohan. Don't think that we will give in so easily. I hope that what the Kamehameha did to Vegeta back there have hopefully taught him a valuable lesson, but if he decides to come back, I assure you that we'll beat him this time!"

This courageous display of his father's made Gohan feel somewhat better. He knew he can trust his father always. Whatever kinds of decisions he was making, he knew they were for the best. He should never doubt his own father in any way. "Okay, Dad," the young child understood.

Far beyond the dark and rain clouds, at another area of Earth, there was an injured man dressed in battle-damaged armor, and he was lying in an empty meadow. Newly-formed wounds were all over his body and he was truly weakened. He awoke, however, and slowly took some time to recuperate. He first sat up and then took a moment or two to fully stand while enduring sudden comings of pain and lost of balance once in a while. He was then finally able to focus to his surroundings at least.

Vegeta remained standing, breathing heavily through his mouth. The serious damage that was inflicted upon him had decreased almost all his current power. He tried to remember what happened to him back there and once he recalled these memories, instant anger built up inside of him.

"I c-can't believe this," Vegeta said in between short breaths. "I am...a Saiyan of royal b-blood! I will not lose to low-level fools like them. They're messing with the _wrong_ person."

The Saiyan Prince looked around. Judging by where he was now, he was isolated from his enemies, but he swore he will come back for vengeance. However, this may not be a good time to immediately return due to his current state. He must take some rest.

He briefly took a gaze at the darkened skies. Rain clouds still covered them. Vegeta pondered for a while, now thinking what could be beyond those clouds.

When the winds blew from one side to another in the meadow, and then they immediately stopped, making everything still again, it was then a scheme was brought up in Vegeta's mind. This sudden plan he had now up in his sleeves was making him chuckle.

"Heh, heh, heh...hah, hah...HAH, HAH!" he began to laugh hysterically. "Of course! The answer's staring right in front of my face this whole time. There's a way to actually beat Kakarot and his puny family and friends without me having to make too much needless effort."

His hands curled into fists and his prided eyes stared down on the grasses beneath his feet. "Some eyes may consider it a cowardly idea, but who cares about that now? This battle is a matter between life and death. There's no such thing as rules or limitations," he then smirked and looked up, his eyes fixed with malicious intentions. "This is perfect. Nothing can stop me now."

The Saiyan Prince spared just a touch of his recovering energy to steadily ascend into the skies. He quickly broke through the rain clouds and went even higher until he could actually see the clearer skies with only a few clouds present.

"Now...where's that blasted moon?" he spoke to the air. As he searched, he began to say to himself, "I could use my Blutz Wave as an alternate source, but unfortunately, I don't have that much energy left to make that technique happen," he clicked his tongue and growled with annoyance. "Blast Kakarot and his useless excuse of a disgraceful family!"

He continued to look around some more until he was certain he had spotted the moon of the Earth. It was a mystery for now why he was so interested in looking for the moon. When he turned around and looked ahead, he saw a full, but faint circle of white. It was very faded, too hard to be seen, but no doubt that was the moon. It was great for Vegeta for the moon to not be too visible now. It would be bad timing at the moment. He must wait a little...until at least when the sun sets on this day will the moon fully shows itself and become clearer of its moon rays.

Vegeta grinned. "Perfect. It's there," he began to think a little bit. "Now come to think of it, Bardock and Raditz still have their tails, don't they? Hmph, they may have already surpassed their tail weaknesses, but I believe they still can't control themselves under their transformations," he laughed again. "Hah! I do not need any help, but the idea of having more than one massive ape in the battlefield is not a bad idea..."

The Saiyan Prince's arrogance and conceit had come back to him. This time, he was more confident than ever to make sure his challenger, Goku, along with the rest of his family and friends, will perish this time.

"Now, to head back and resume this fight; I am _not_ done with them yet," Vegeta immediately departed and headed back.

At King Kai's planet, King Kai was just shocked to know that Goku actually survived the quadruple Kaioken. He was one extraordinary being he could tell, but Goku must not risk his Kaioken abilities any further, at least not at this time because of his awful state. He could use this technique again if he was actually taught to take his Kaioken beyond what he could handle.

Now though, King Kai was even more anxious. He had his arms behind his back. "I sense Vegeta's going to come back, and by the looks of it, this next battle Goku and his friends and family will have to face will be a lot tougher this time."

Bubbles made monkey noises again while Gregory floated in one place. The two of them were also worried about Earth's safety.

"Goku, you have to win this time," King Kai fretted, "or else, there won't be any more hope for your planet!"

At Kame House, most of the furniture and decorations there had toppled over. Everyone in the living room tried to situate and adjust themselves.

"It suddenly stopped," Puar realized, referring to the quake they experienced earlier.

"That's very unusual," Master Roshi said, taking his walking stick from the floor.

"I wonder what happened to Goku and the others," Bulma said.

"Is your crystal ball still working, Fortuneteller Baba?" asked Turtle.

Baba hopped from her crystal ball. She spread her arms wide and tried to pick up a signal, but it was still no use. "I'm afraid to say that my crystal ball is still defective."

"How are we supposed to know what's going on with our friends now?" asked Ox-King.

"I wish I knew," Oolong said in disappointment.

Chi-Chi was looking out of the window this whole time. She then walked towards it and watched the waves of the sea surrounding Kame House. The waves had calmed down and resumed rolling back and forth on the sands as if nothing had really happened. She then looked up, seeing how the skies were now darkened by these rain clouds. There was an ominous feeling in the air and she did not like this.

Chi-Chi bit her lip and became very frustrated. She turned around to face everyone. "Let's just get out there ourselves and figure out what's really going on!"

"Chi-Chi!" they all said in surprise.

"What are you saying? Are you telling me that you're all afraid?! Fine, you can stay here, but I need to see my Gohan and make sure he's okay!" Chi-Chi began to storm her way towards the door.

"Wait, Chi-Chi!" Ox-King tried to stop his steadfast daughter. "You can't just go by yourself. It's too dangerous!"

Chi-Chi stopped by the door. She gave a more frustrated glare when she turned around.

Just before Chi-Chi said anything else, Bulma stood up and told everyone in the room, "Chi-Chi is right. We can't just linger around here any longer, constantly wondering what's going on with our friends. We need to see for ourselves if they're doing all right."

The rest doubted again at what she said until Master Roshi spoke up.

"You're right," the elderly man finally agreed. "Come on, let's all go. There's no time to waste. Who knows? Maybe they may need our help too."

Soon, every one of them in the room became convinced that they should definitely go see how their companions were holding up in this greatest battle that the Earth had to face and their bravest friends who were disposed enough to stand up to this conflict.

"All right, let's get going!" Chi-Chi insisted. "Miss Bulma, do you have an aircraft we can use to fit us all in?"

"Of course," Bulma said. "Come with me to Capsule Corp and let's get a move on!"

At the collapsed Rocky Mountains, Goku and the others were still taking their rests in order to gain some of their energies back. In the meantime, they kept a lookout for Vegeta for the Prince of all Saiyans can come at anytime and wreak havoc once again.

"So when's Vegeta gonna come back?" asked Krillin seriously.

Goku tried to sense his life force. "...I can't detect him yet. It's strange. It's been a while now."

"Maybe he had already left and given up," Gohan thought.

"No," Raditz shook his head. "Vegeta is someone who won't quit that easily. He won't accept defeat unless he's absolutely convinced that he _is_ defeated..."

"He's quite an obstinate one," Bardock stated.

There was another moment of silence. Everyone remained quiet.

"We should've just finished him off," Raditz crossed his arms, cutting the stillness.

Goku laughed again. "Hah, hah! You're still stuck on that, aren't you?"

"No, I'm serious, Kakarot," Raditz now fully faced him with anxious and frustrated eyes.

Goku quickly saw this expression on his face and he was not kidding at all. Bearing in mind that he was his older brother and that his brother here used to serve alongside Vegeta for several years before they set foot here on Earth, Raditz knew perfectly well of the elite's personality, his selfish desires, and of course, his immense power. Goku now felt even more ashamed.

Bardock caught a sight of this, which could have escalated into a meaningless quarrel. He stopped them both before it had gotten worse. "Stop, let's not play the blaming game here. It's no use looking back in the past," he told his sons. "Let's focus on the present. The main issue here is if Vegeta _does_ come back, we'll have to prepare ourselves for this next fight."

Raditz sighed and shifted his eyes at the ground. "Yes," he understood. He then glimpsed at his younger brother as if to ask him for his pardon. There was just too much going on lately. Sometimes, he could not handle all this pressure and pain.

Goku smiled back at Raditz, truly understanding his frustration. He did not have to apologize. In fact, Goku felt it was really his fault now just looking back, but...he had a very good reason why he spared Vegeta's life.

"Right," Goku replied, answering his father. He then turned to Gohan and Krillin. "I beg for you two to leave while you can before Vegeta gets back here."

Krillin sighed. "I can stay, Goku. You may need some extra help."

"Krillin," Goku was very worried.

"But Gohan," Krillin now turned to the half-Saiyan, "you need to go back especially to your mother. I bet she's worried sick about you and this next fight will be too dangerous for you to handle."

However, Gohan just shook his head. He refused to go back. "No way, Krillin. If you're staying, then I'm staying, too. You may need my help, you know."

"Gohan," Krillin said worriedly.

"But Son," now Goku began to say.

Gohan was unyielding though. He shook his head again. "I'm staying, Daddy. I want to help Krillin, you, Uncle, and Grandpa out this time."

Goku was more concerned about his safety though; of everyone's safety, of course! He knew each of them had a lot of unwavering faith, and he was thankful about this, but he just could not put his friends and family into any more danger especially to his child who was too young to encounter such battles.

"Please, just go back," Goku begged. "I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to you."

Gohan though just remained where he was. Krillin then looked at the young boy carrying such latent, yet still dormant powers that his family and friends still did not understand to as these powers of Gohan always tried to change unpredictably.

"Well, I guess we can't really change your mind, Gohan. Now we can see where you got that trait from, I think," Krillin snickered a little.

Goku had no sense of humor in him at this time. "Gohan, listen to me. I can't just-"

His words were interrupted, however, when they all felt a growing, enormous power level coming their way.

Bardock gave a serious glare. "It's him...he's returning."

Raditz was now beginning to learn to sense these so-called energy levels that enabled the rest of his family and friends to detect an ally or foe from far away, but he was still a beginner at this skill, so he had to ask instead. "Father, are you sure?"

Krillin worriedly looked at the skies. "I sense it too! Gosh, it still feels so enormous. I thought his power should've gone down significantly, but he's still _this_ powerful!" he remarked.

In time, a shadowed figure appeared in the darkened skies. It appeared like this day was becoming darker by every minute. The Z-fighters began to think that it was close to sunset, yet they could not tell because of all these rain clouds still covering the firmaments. Soon, someone broke through those clouds in high speed and presented a very frightening comeback.

"He's here," Goku said seriously.

Vegeta now made his presence known. It was very clear how greatly injured and weakened he was from Goku's remarkable Kamehameha attack, yet him returning in his usual regal appearance and confident posture meant he was not ready to falter yet. This brought his opponents to even more anxiety and stress.

The Prince of all Saiyans had a light grin plastered on his conceited face.

"_What's he smirking about?"_ Raditz thought to himself.

Vegeta had a soft laugh. "Well, well, Kakarot, it seems like your father and brother seem to be back in good spirits. And I notice that your friend and son are here as well."

They continued to listen to him.

"I have to admit, you absolutely wreaked me with that unexpected power of yours, but that doesn't stop me yet. You think you had already won this fight? I still have another source of power left that'll be guaranteed to destroy all of you," Vegeta declared.

They were now a little bewildered by what he just said. What did he mean by another source of power?

"What are you talking about?" asked Goku.

Vegeta briefly stared at his right gloved hand that was now quite torn, scraped, and had marks of his own blood on it. "Before, we Saiyans are at the mercy of the moon, unable to neither predict nor change the time when we want to transform or when we don't want to transform, but are forced to otherwise."

The Z-warriors were not getting the connection. Why was he talking about the moon and some kind of transformation all of a sudden?

Vegeta folded his arms. "Then, we Saiyans discovered that there's a way to transform at will; the Blutz Wave made that possible as long it is kept to our advantage. Only a number of us can perform such a technique."

Bardock and Raditz gasped silently. Their eyes widened for this alarmed them.

"Of course, it can only be achieved if there's enough energy to spare," Vegeta said, "but I don't have the right amount actually to complete the Blutz Wave myself."

Bardock and Raditz trembled a little for they may know what he was getting to. Goku, Krillin, and Gohan noticed their insecure reaction and wondered what was going on with them.

"Unfortunately for you all, if Bardock and Raditz should've thought about this a long time ago," Vegeta now looked intently at them with an evil smirk, "if you knew better about the true power of a Saiyan, you guys should have blasted this planet's moon in the first place!"

Upon saying this, he suddenly drew both of his arms back. They quickly lit up in bright sparks and lights, and as he moved his hands forward, they released multiples of fast energy blasts at them.

"Watch out!" Goku warned.

All five of them quickly escaped. The fast-moving energy blasts hit the ground instead, destroying the battlefield even more. More rocks and particles flew and scattered towards the skies and subsequently, made a very hazy fog. The Z-warriors all coughed as they were all distracted from this smog.

Goku opened an eye, not trying to get some dust into his eyes. He tried to locate Vegeta while thinking that he intentionally destroyed the ground below them to cause this haze and allow the Saiyan Prince to siege them with a cunning ambush, but Vegeta was thinking many steps ahead of everyone.

Bardock tried to cover his face. "That fool! What's he trying to do?"

Raditz shook his head. "Darn! Where is he?!"

When the fog became clearer, a bright and full circle suddenly came into the view in the skies as if the rain clouds that were masking the skies earlier just left without warning. Bardock and Raditz realized that the day was now transitioning to night as the sun was just about to set. The skies were a blend of deep orange and dark purple, but this was not that caught their attention. Instead, it was that bright, glowing object in the skies, emitting tranquil rays of white light.

Bardock and Raditz felt this light touching their skin. Almost like instincts, they were somehow drawn to this subtle, mysterious power of it. As if they could not control themselves, they had to look up as if they were enticed to take a long gaze at this bright object. Much to their shock, it was the moon, a full moon, the Earth's moon that had inscribed a complete circle on this day.

They were at serenity at first as if the rays of the moon were bestowing them such tranquility, but then, abruptly, their hearts began to race. They began to pump more blood and adrenaline in their veins. The sounds of their own heart beat loudly in their ears.

"...!" Bardock's and Raditz's eyes were suddenly fixed on the full moon. For some reason, they could not look or turn away. In time, they found themselves breathing loudly and having irregular breaths. They were shaking even more greatly than ever before.

Goku, Krillin, and Gohan were floating at another area of the battlefield. They were glad they were able to escape from Vegeta's sudden attack of energy blasts, but when they noticed Bardock and Raditz now having these strange reactions towards the full moon, they became concerned and ultimately, horrified.

"What's going on with Grandpa Bardock and Uncle Raditz?" Gohan asked worriedly.

Krillin quickly had a face of fright and horror. His teeth chattered and he was almost blue in the face. "N-no! I forgot! It can happen to them, too!"

"What's happening?" Goku asked his best friend.

"Their tails!" Krillin reminded him. "They still have their tails. Don't you remember, Goku? Don't you remember what Raditz had told you before about a Saiyan's tail?!"

It was at that moment that it all became clear now to Goku what Vegeta was planning to do all along; all his strange talk about the moon, the Blutz Wave, and some kind of transformation, Goku cannot believe he overlooked this!

Goku turned his full attention now to Bardock and Raditz and tried to warn them. "Oh no! Dad! Raditz! Stop!"

It was already too late. Bardock and Raditz were now under a spell of paralysis. Their pupils were quivering. They kept irregularly breathing. They could not speak. They could not hear anything; only the sounds of their own heartbeat. Their tails wrapped around their waist began to glow as they reacted to the full moon's mysterious powers.

"Hah, hah!" then there came a raucous laugh, which came from Vegeta. Vegeta had his back turned from the moon, however, so his tail would not react to the moonlight's power yet. "You see now, Kakarot?! There's nothing you can do to stop this now! This is the ultimate power of the Saiyans. It is what you call Great Ape. Soon, this world would feel my wrath!"

Vegeta then turned around as well to face the full moon himself. His tail instinctively reacted to the moonlight's power. He laughed manically when he felt a sudden rush of new, tremendous power coursing through his veins.

"Yes! This is the true power of a Saiyan! Once this transformation is completed, it'll all be over for this puny planet!" cried Vegeta who was also having the same reactions as Bardock and Raditz were going through. The only difference was Vegeta could control this power on his own will whereas Bardock and Raditz could not.

_B-dmp…B-dmp…B-dmp…B-dmp…_

"Aah!" Gohan gasped in fright, his body frozen somehow.

Krillin's teeth were chattering, feeling like he was living in his nightmares once again especially after recalling memories from the past when Goku, who was only a teenager, transformed to this horrendous Great Ape as well as Gohan who went through the same transformation a year ago before his tail was cut off.

Goku was just as shocked as his friend and son were. For some odd reason though, he felt that he knew of this transformation before; that he actually lived in it even though he could not recall anything at all. It was a very strange feeling. The truth was, Krillin and his other allies, who actually experienced Goku's nightmarish Great Ape when he was a teenager, never dared to tell him the truth of what he was capable of turning himself into. And considering that whenever Goku went back to his normal state, he will not remember anything before that and will just think he just had a very long slumber with very strange dreams and hallucinations of a giant ape destroying everything in its way.

Right now though, Goku will understand why he was feeling like this.

Raditz's and Bardock's expression began to change. They shuddered and shook. They breathed even more heavily up to a point it seemed like they were gasping for air. Their tails now unwrapped themselves from their waist. They moved about back and forth as they still reacted to the moon's rays. The color of their eyes now changed into bright, glowing red. It was then their transformations had commenced immediately. Vegeta was also going through the same reactions as Bardock and Raditz were, and he liked the feeling of this; the feel that he will conquer his enemies soon enough.

"This is not good!" Goku exclaimed in fright as he, Gohan, and Krillin continued to watch this.

Soon, Bardock, Raditz, and Vegeta grew body fur and extended in size ten times larger. Their teeth became fangs, their eyes glowed red, and their face structure changed shapes. Soon, they changed into these oversized, giant Great Apes. Their Saiyan armor did not rip out, however, for they just expanded with their growing size. They howled and roared, their bellowing cries rumbled the skies.

Goku, Gohan, and Krillin were very shocked, they could not move at all. Under the full moon, the day gradually turning to night, they were witnessing three gigantic Great Apes in front of them whose powers had sky-rocketed, escalated into new heights no one could ever imagine.

"WRAAGH!" Great Ape Bardock, Raditz, and including Vegeta howled again. Their thunderous roars can be heard, which disturbed the forests, the water banks and streams, and the mountains even from miles away, frightening all kinds of creatures from their slumber.

Unlike Great Ape Vegeta, Bardock and Raditz could not control themselves in this transformation. It was a weakness they had not surpassed yet. As a result, they turned out to be unexpectedly violent and uncontrollable. In reality, this weakness was natural to all low-class soldiers of the Saiyan race, to not know how to have a clear mind and thinking under the Great Ape transformation. Those who were top-class, elites, and from royal blood can handle the Great Ape transformation very well and will be able to speak normally like a human being.

Great Ape Vegeta demonstrated this by talking to Goku in his changed voice: a much deeper, monstrous-like voice. "A terrible misjudgment, isn't it? Your family had transformed, too, and that only triples your trouble, Kakarot."

Goku's eyes widened with more fear and terror. Krillin and Gohan continued to stand beside Goku and were as horrified as him.

"At this state, Kakarot, your father and brother will mindlessly kill every living thing in their paths; friend or foe, they do not care! And that includes you and the rest of your family and friends!" Vegeta declared. "This is our next round. Let's see if you can survive this one!"

"No!" Goku shouted with disbelief. Just before the three Great Apes had done anything, Goku warned Krillin and Gohan one more time. "You guys! Get outta here now! What are you waiting for? Go!" he demanded angrily.

His words though did nothing to convince Krillin even Gohan to run away from this.

"No way, Goku!" Krillin argued again. "Are you out of your mind?! You can't possibly handle this alone!"

"WRAGH!" Vegeta suddenly took the first strike by attempting to crush Goku with his massive arm that looked a giant, moving stone trying to make for a massive collision. Goku fortunately evaded it. His speed was evidently slow due to residues of his quadruple Kaioken, which had drained a majority of his strength. Vegeta's arm instead crushed an entire canyon.

Gohan and Krillin took flight in order to avoid these huge chunks of boulders shooting up into the air. The moment though they took off into the skies, Vegeta suddenly glared at them with his glowing, red eyes.

"Let's see how Kakarot reacts if I crush his son first!" growled Vegeta mercilessly.

"What?!" Gohan shouted.

Goku clearly heard what he said. He grew in horror that almost made his heart stop. "NO! GOHAN!" he screamed.

Gohan was traumatized especially after witnessing Vegeta's massive, intimidating appearance, which made him freeze to where he was.

Just about Goku unconsciously took action to save his own child, Krillin reacted quickly by firing a quick, powered energy blast straight at Vegeta's face to at least distract him for a moment. "Kyah!"

"Gah!" Vegeta did not see that one coming. He felt no pain, but the clouds of smoke that came after the blast's explosion left his vision blurred. "How dare you!" he cursed.

"Come on, Gohan!" Krillin snapped the half-Saiyan back to reality.

Gohan shook his head and followed Krillin. "R-right!"

The two of them then retreated with Goku for the moment. They tried to hide behind a corner before Vegeta found them.

"You okay, Son?" Goku asked, placing his hands on his son's shoulders.

"I'm fine, Daddy," Gohan nodded, but he was still recovering from his shock.

"Thank goodness you're all right," Goku said. He then turned to his friend. "Thanks a lot, Krillin. I owe you a lot."

"No need for thanks," Krillin smiled. "We need to be extra careful though. It's wise if you have someone to back you up, Goku."

"But, you and Gohan," Goku began to doubt again.

"It's okay, Dad," now, Gohan tried to reassure his father this time. "Besides, Grandpa Bardock, Mr. Kami, and especially Mr. Piccolo didn't train me so hard for nothing. I can fight too!" the young boy stated with great confidence.

Goku found himself smiling a little to hear him speak like this. Through his panicking mind, he was proud to have a son like him. He had truly changed as a warrior and also as a person from the in and out. He was once a very dependent child who was very ignorant of the world, but now, to Goku's amazement, his five-and-a-half-year old prodigy was now displaying what it meant to be a true fighter. Though once in a while, Gohan still showed signs of anxiety and fear since after all, he was only a very young boy, but still, he carried a brave heart if he just put his mind into it. Even Gohan had surprised himself of this very change in him.

As much as Goku needed all the help he can have, he also needed to keep in mind to look after his friend especially his son.

The three took a peak from the canyon they were hiding from and watched as Great Ape Vegeta searched for them. For Great Ape Bardock and Raditz, they had now commenced their havoc and destruction. They began to destroy everything that was in their way by carrying heavy boulders and throwing them against the grounds. They swung their arms, destroying canyons and plateaus. They screeched, roared, and beat their chests wildly. Once in a while, they occasionally emitted large and scorching energy beams from the inside of their throats and these demolished more of their surroundings without end.

"Dad and Raditz can't control themselves," Goku observed. "At this rate, the whole place would explode!"

"There's only two ways of stopping this," Krillin told his friend. "Is either get rid of the moon or cut off their tails!"

Goku had already predicted how challenging that task would be. "It'll be very hard because of their enormous sizes to even get near them without letting them see us."

"I think it's best if Gohan and I stop Bardock and Raditz," Krillin planned out. "You, Goku, should at least try to divert Vegeta's attention towards you. I bet I know why Vegeta distracted us earlier ago," he shared his theory. "He wanted to distract Bardock and Raditz in particular and divert their attention towards the full moon, so they may transform and get out of control."

Goku shook his head. "That Vegeta; not only is he tough, but he's clever, too."

Just before they re-emerged themselves from their hiding, Vegeta had already found them. His humongous size casted dark shadows over them as if the Earth had turned into a world with no light.

"I see you!" Vegeta roared. He immediately lifted his foot up, attempting for a stomp, but Goku, Gohan, and Krillin took deep concentration and at the right timing, they increased their speed and luckily got out of the way. Vegeta's stomp instead created a heavy quake within the grounds.

The three then took wing into the evening skies and tried to retreat until they can find the perfect opportunity to carry out their plan: either destroy the moon or cut off their tails. If the target was the moon, they must have enough energy to actually destroy it. If the target was their tails, they would have to risk getting near them without getting hit or else, they would suffer unbearable torture.

"You can't hide from me forever, scum!" Vegeta roared.

Krillin looked behind and said, "Man, for someone that huge, he can catch up pretty fast!"

Meanwhile, the cries and roars of Great Ape Raditz and Bardock raged throughout the entire place. Raditz fired an energy beam from his mouth that destroyed three mountains in the background. Bardock swung his arms and stomped with his feet, shattering more canyons and the grounds while also discharging random energy blasts.

One of their energy beams was actually about to hit Goku. He quickly sensed this, however, and avoided it just in time. Another one came to Krillin and Gohan this time, but they both dodged them as well.

"Man, Gohan, I'm impressed. Looks like Piccolo's training really paid off!" Krillin praised him. For a five-year old like him, he can already fight like his father. Of course, Gohan was half-Saiyan; therefore, his thinking was more advanced and matured than the average human child.

"I really thank him a lot!" Gohan exclaimed.

Goku, Gohan, and Krillin managed to hide behind a canyon, but Vegeta had already spotted their hiding that quickly. He eventually destroyed it with one hand. Goku had to take Gohan into his arms this time to make certain that he will not fall victim onto Vegeta's hands. Krillin evaded his attack also and went with Goku and his son. They lifted themselves higher up in the air, making Vegeta having to search for them again.

"Where are you?!" he questioned angrily. "You can't play the hide-and-seek game forever, Kakarot. You will have to fight me one way or another!"

Goku spoke to himself. "This isn't good. There's too many of them. If Bardock and Raditz are not stopped soon, this place will definitely explode."

He looked up at the skies to glance at the shining moon. "Unfortunately, we're all too beaten up to destroy the moon."

He then looked back at the three Great Apes once again. "And Vegeta will do anything to prevent us halting their transformations..."

Goku pondered for some more. Finally, a thought hit him. He may have to resort to another technique of his that he learned in the afterlife. It was an ability that could only be used for serious situations and unfortunately, this was one of them.

"_I hate hurting my own family...but I guess it's the only way,"_ Goku spoke in his mind. _"Vegeta needs to be also stopped whatever the costs are. The only way to stop them is with...the Spirit Bomb!"_


	37. Triple Trouble!

Episode 37

Triple Trouble!

**Disclaimer: Hello, readers! It's been a long time, but I was able to write another chapter and quite a lengthy one as well. Hope you all enjoy reading this! I got some motivation back after listening to several, inspiring DragonBall, Z, and GT songs and from my reviewers as well.**

**Author's Note: Just a brief comment about posting reviews. I really appreciate respectful and positive reviews as they help me with my writing. If you feel you need to give me some feedback, please write it in the most professional and respectful way as possible. Let's always do our best to respect one another. Please no rude and disrespectful reviews. I will **_**not**_** tolerate them and they will be deleted and/or reported immediately. Thanks in advance!**

**A/N #2: Take note that in this story, the moon was not destroyed at all by anyone. That's why I decided to add a full moon instead to my previous chapter and not have Vegeta use the Blutz Wave technique to keep my story unique from the original series.**

**Again, hope you enjoy!**

Gohan, Krillin, and Goku remained floating in air. Great Ape Vegeta still sought for them and while he did so, Goku whispered to Krillin and Gohan that they should hide in another corner so they can hide from the three monstrous apes for a brief moment and see if they can carry out their plan.

When the three began to move, Vegeta's heightened sense of hearing was able to pick up even their almost inaudible sounds of their flight. With an evil grin appearing on his face and his eyes glowing red, he turned around and yelled, "I see you!" he declared, discharging a humongous and quick energy blast straight at them.

"Huh?!" the three instantly turned around and noticed that the blast was coming to them fast, ready to consume them.

"Hyah!" Goku took the initiative as he quickly placed his hands together. He moved them forward, releasing a Kamehameha wave. "HA!" the two energy beams came in contact, but they exploded in the middle, leaving residues of haze and flickering sparks behind, which can actually hurt one's skin.

"Let's go!" Goku told Krillin and Gohan.

They rushed and darted underneath the night skies, trying to get away from the vicious Vegeta. Despite of his massive height, however, he can still run after them. He trailed behind them, his giant feet making quakes on the fractured battleground. His hands began to glow and then, he fired multiples of scattering energy blasts. They occupied every space and corner of Goku's path including Krillin's and Gohan's. The three had no choice but to evade all of these blasts face-to-face. Since they were large in size, one wrong move and these could easily consume them.

Because of these chasing blasts, they had suddenly caught Great Ape Raditz's and Bardock's attention. They stopped demolishing the place for a while and they stared at Great Ape Vegeta as well as Goku, Krillin, and Gohan. For some odd reason, they became very enraged, revealing their sharp fangs. Uncontrollable as they were already were, they became even more out-of-control when they felt this peaking anger burning in their chests.

"Take this!" Krillin quickly collected energy into his hands as he fired barrages of speedy, exploding waves, hoping that his Scattering Bullet should cancel some of Vegeta's homing energy blasts.

Gohan realized that there were at least three blasts coming at him, but with courage beating in his heart, he immediately placed his palms on his forehead facing forward. "Masenko-ha!" the strong energy wave shone bright, filled with quite some power, and it canceled those three blasts.

"All right! Great job, Gohan!" Krillin cheered for him.

Gohan found himself smiling and laughing.

As for Goku, he was firing energy waves on his own, but his target was towards the ground instead where Vegeta was standing on now. When they touched the surface, there was fog everywhere along with dust and particles.

Even with their combined teamwork, this did not stop Vegeta from getting them where he wanted them. "You will not escape from me!" he opened his mouth this time, carrying out an enormous, cylinder-shaped beam from his throat. It rushed towards Goku, his best friend, and his son as it broke through the hazy fog and was prepared to demolish them at will.

"Look out!" Goku warned. Even though his body was terribly exhausted and bruised from the quadruple Kaioken he risked doing before, he still spared some of his energy from his rest after he wreaked Vegeta with his tremendous Kamehameha combined with his Kaioken ability. He grabbed Krillin and Gohan just in time, the three avoiding Vegeta's attack.

Goku felt his body going under immediate pain again after just using physical energy, but he tried to ignore it for now. He, Krillin, and Gohan immediately took more speed to hide behind a huge canyon.

Vegeta had lost them once again and he became more furious than ever. "Where are you, you sneaky scums?! You can't hide from me forever!" he sought for them once more.

Goku tried to take a deep breath while Gohan kept vigilant to his surroundings. He turned to his father this time. "Daddy, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Goku smiled a little. "I just need to catch my breath for a moment," he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Krillin took a slight peek and saw the angered Saiyan Prince. "Man, Vegeta's persistent. He won't stop until he's certain that we're killed by him," he turned to his best friend. "Look, Goku. We can't hide here for long. It's about time we do something to stop their transformations."

Goku was still thinking in his head about the Spirit Bomb; if only he could buy enough time to actually make it.

His mind, however, was still stuck on the idea that he had seen this Great Ape transformation before at some point in his life. _"For some reason, I can remember this as far back when I was a little boy. What's the meaning of this? Is this for real?"_

Gohan was about to say something to his father until he, Goku, and Krillin felt heavy vibrations spreading throughout the ground, almost making them lose their balance. They became frightened, believing it was Vegeta who had found them again, but instead, Goku had sensed this life force was quite different. Following these shakes underneath the surface, they heard a high-pitched howl that was different from Vegeta's.

The three knew there was no use trying to hide. They quickly moved away from the canyon to see if Vegeta had found them, but they noticed that the howl came from Great Ape Raditz instead. The raged-look on his face conveyed that he intended to destroy them as well.

"Uncle Raditz!" Gohan yelled.

"RAARGH!" Raditz bellowed. With his giant arms, he broke a huge portion of a damaged canyon that was beside him and used it as a boulder to throw it towards Goku and the rest.

"Watch out!" Goku shouted. He, Gohan, and Krillin immediately reacted and they were able to evade this. The boulder instead hit the ground and it broke into a thousand pieces, which scattered in the air. They had to cover their bodies and arms for a while to not let these huge chunks of rocks hurt them.

Goku knew that Raditz and Bardock could not control themselves at all, but he hoped that by talking to them, he might just be able to lead them back their senses.

"Raditz!" Goku spoke to him first. "Don't you remember me?! It's me, your brother, Goku!"

Raditz paid no heed to his voice. He did not identify him as his own brother at all. Without a mind to be aware of what was really going on, Raditz proceeded to hit his own sibling with a dangerous, energy wave from the inside of his own throat.

Goku kept his mind focused and at that right moment, he successfully evaded it. He tried talking to Raditz again to help him remember until suddenly, another shadow loomed over him. He sensed this, quickly turning around and this time, he found Great Ape Bardock staring back at him. His vision was not on him rather it was on Krillin and Gohan instead; however, they did not notice him since their backs were turned from Bardock and that they were too focused on Raditz.

"Krillin! Gohan! Get out of there!" Goku shouted.

"What?!" Krillin and Gohan turned around this time and they felt their bodies almost petrified. They were shocked to see two Great Apes standing before them.

Goku held a shaking, frustrated fist. The events were happening now were truly worrying and aggravating him. He cannot believe Raditz and Bardock were forced into this cruel scheme Vegeta had set up, which held his brother and father against their will and were forced to change into these mindless, violent Saiyans; and now, Krillin and Gohan had to be involved in this, too, in this one treacherous confrontation no other being had ever witnessed before in this planet.

"Don't hurt them! HYAH!" Goku had no choice but to stop his own family. He spread his arms wide and from both of his hands, he released a "Double Kamehameha." One went straight to Bardock and the other towards Great Ape Raditz all at once.

Goku's technique had inflicted an unbelievable amount of damage to them both. The giant apes were pushed back, their feet sliding heavily on the fractured grounds, causing severe bruises underneath them. They were rammed against huge boulders and canyons. They were quite injured, but this only made them angrier. They roared as loud as they could, greatly disturbing the darkness of the night. They began to smash and blast everything whatever that was around them. They had completely forgotten about Goku, Krillin, and Gohan as if they were just in their imagination.

"Come on!" Goku told Krillin and Gohan. The three soared higher into the skies once more.

Gohan shook his head. "Grandpa and Uncle still can't control themselves!"

"Just trying to talk to them is highly impossible!" Krillin exclaimed.

Goku, however, just could not leave Raditz and Bardock in this state. He looked at them with great worry. "No, they need to stop this!" he shouted again to Raditz including Bardock this time, hoping he can snap them out from this deep trance they were in or rather an invasion of wild violence in their inner conscious. "Brother! Father! Please, listen to me! You're going to-!"

All of a sudden, he fell silent. That thought which constantly played in his mind about him actually witnessing this Great Ape transformation back many years ago…he was convinced that this was true. His mind unconsciously went back to the past, when he was a young boy being raised in the woods by his loving adoptive grandfather, Grandpa Gohan. He remembered those words he had said, about the moon whenever it inscribed a full circle. He warned Goku that a giant ape always came out during those full-moon nights, destroying everything that gets in its way. He advised that he should always stay at the house whenever there was a full moon.

In addition, he remembered that he was at Kami's Lookout and the tail he once had, had suddenly been cut off. He was in a deep sleep on that day though, but he felt he clearly remembered these words that Kami told him: his tail was gone, but he will understand sooner or later why he needed to remove it.

Goku focused back on the battle again. This time, Great Ape Vegeta had finally found him, Krillin, and Gohan. With a sneer on his face, he was sure he will eliminate them this time.

"Split up!" Krillin yelled.

"Gohan! Krillin! Be careful!" Goku told them anxiously.

The three had no choice but to go to separate directions. Great Ape Vegeta though proceeded to lock onto Goku, his main target. Knowing that he had the highest power level of all, he needed to exterminate him first before moving on to, he believed, the less significant ones, which were Krillin and Gohan. Vegeta gave heavy, claw strikes at Goku, attempting to give him the most destructive pain ever.

"Kyah, hyah, kyah!" Krillin and Gohan teamed up together and endeavored to distract the Saiyan Prince by firing numerous energy blasts at him, all with varying strength and speed. Vegeta's focus slightly wavered, but their attempt was not enough to stop the obstinate prince from accomplishing his goal.

Due to Vegeta's peaking anger that he had not laid any successful hits yet to any of his opponents, he made the decision to emit a strong force field accompanied by his anger from the center of his body. "RAARGH!" invisible force fields and gust of winds were made and Krillin, Gohan, and Goku were almost carried off with these strong bursts of air.

Krillin was able to get his balance back and he resisted the fierce winds to the best he could. Gohan was not able to until Krillin caught him in his arms. "It's okay. I got you, kiddo!"

"Thanks, Krillin," Gohan said, covering his eyes from these heavy winds battering their bodies. The two of them then tried to move farther away from Vegeta, discreetly hiding from him. They came to a low-leveled plateau. When they resurfaced, they noticed Goku had landed on another, more elevated rocky mountain. His eyes were still on Vegeta.

This time, Goku had a strange look on his troubled face. It was an expression of dreadful realization, which then slowly turned into regret and remorse. Years ago, when his adoptive grandfather was killed by this giant ape he claimed to have always seen whenever the moon was full, Goku broke in tears and during restless days and nights, he had constantly wondered with desperation who this ape was that killed his own adoptive grandfather who raised him dearly like his own son. Goku had actually vowed revenge on the one who destroyed his grandfather.

However, it was clear now who he was exacting his revenge on. "I now understand…all this time, Grandpa was talking about…_me _all along! _I_ was the giant ape!"

He was more distressed, in more sorrow to have finally known the truth now; the painful truth about his mysterious powers of his untold transformation and the devastating truth behind his grandfather's death.

"I was the one who destroyed the tournament years ago. I was the one…who crushed my own grandpa!" his words almost fell apart. He gritted his teeth together, his hands curling into fists whilst they shook.

Great Ape Vegeta sprinted towards Goku and destroyed the canyon where he was standing on. Goku luckily avoided his staggering punch that almost looked like a giant, heavy stone heading straight towards him.

"Stop running away, Kakarot!" he roared angrily and pursued after him.

While Goku tried to run as far away as he could from Vegeta until he can find that perfect opportunity to go for his attack without any mistakes, his mind now began to ask questions about why he was not informed of this mysterious power that he once had, which had put his friends' lives in danger a few times; this kind of power that he was battling against now.

_"If my friends had known all this time, how come they never told me anything about it in the first place? Why did they hide it from me?"_ he questioned. He soon realized that perhaps it was for his own good. He was only too young, too innocent, and too ignorant back then to understand. His heart, although was the most courageous heart any child could have, it was also fragile and can be struck with a lot of emotion.

Goku took a gaze at the night skies, seeing how the stars appeared like they were refusing to shine as this place had been much tainted by his enemies' menacing strength and intents.

Yet, beyond all that, in those glistening stars, he could somehow feel a bit of a faint light that was "calling" out to him somehow. He could imagine…that it was his grandfather's spirit cheering him on in this battle.

After learning the reality and painfully accepting it, he knew it may be one conflict in his heart that he may never resolve or at least, may take a long time to recover from. He took a while to speak to his grandfather's soul. _"Grandpa, I'm really sorry. I hope you forgive me. I want to make it up to you somehow. I promise."_

The revenge that was actually directed towards him had now turned into absolute resolute, into pure strength of mind to help Bardock and Raditz return to their original forms and to stop Vegeta from his evil deeds and senseless desires. He knew it was what his grandfather would have wanted it; therefore, he will grant his wish. It was now the only act he can do to redeem himself and finally let his grandfather find full peace.

Goku quickly checked on Gohan and Krillin and he noticed that they took hiding under an arch canyon. Their focus was primarily on Bardock and Raditz now who were still destroying their surroundings. They had to cut off their tails before their uncontrollable powers can lead to complete decimation to this place.

Gohan and Krillin then turned around and looked at Goku, seeing how every second of his battle can always change what kind of fate he will have to face.

Goku tried to call out for them until he was stopped as the enormous size of Vegeta covered the night skies above him. He had finally had him where he wanted.

"If you're thinking of aiding your friend and son, Kakarot, you'll be long gone before you even have the chance! Rargh!" he went for a direct strike with his right fist.

"Hyah!" Goku was in a state of full focus as he watched his arm drawing to him fast. With just the right timing, he was able to evade his punch. He took a leap and he landed on his furry arm instead. He began to run straight to his shoulder.

Vegeta tried to grab him with his left arm, but Goku took another leap and he resurfaced behind the prince's right foot. Goku looked up and noticed his tail. With no time to delay, he made an effort to slice it off as soon as he can.

"Here we go!" he began to raise his right arm as he consumed some energy to make an attack similar to Krillin's Destructo Disk. Suddenly, he became alerted to see that due to the prince's gigantic size, when he moved his right foot back, Goku knew he would have already been crushed if he had lingered for long even for just a second. The fighter jumped quickly to avoid it; however, he did not anticipate his real plan.

"Hah, hah!" Vegeta's laughter could only mean it was just a ploy on him. He unexpectedly used his tail and with surprising haste, it struck Goku directly at his abdomen.

Goku groaned in so much pain. He was hurled towards a rocky mountain, smashing on its surface and leaving a dent behind. Goku closed an eye. "Rrrgh, didn't see that one coming!"

Vegeta went on to finish him off this time. "Now, Kakarot, it's over for you now. There's no way you can escape my wrath!" with both of his colossal-sized hands, he intended to fully compress and beat him with these fearsome palms. He was only a few feet away from deciding Goku's fate.

Gohan clearly saw this including Krillin.

"No, DAD!" he screamed as he emerged from his hiding. He raced against time, hoping that he can save his father.

"Goku!" Krillin also shouted.

Goku although was not the one who will give up that easily. He still had some fight left in him and as long as he had this unending fortitude blazing in his heart as well as the eternal promise for his adoptive grandfather, he will continue to move forward. Goku noticed the moon and using the power of its mysterious glow, Goku had an idea in an instant. He placed his hands on his forehead, closed his eyes, and shouted, "Solar Flare!"

Intense, vivid rays dispersed from his hands and they struck Vegeta's eyes, which resulted to his vision being temporarily blurred. Although this type of Solar Flare was weaker since it did not have the power of the sun to fully exhibit its full effect, it was enough to hinder the Saiyan Prince from attacking.

"Augh! No, what did you do to me?" Vegeta questioned, having no idea what just happened. He rubbed his eyes, but his vision was still the same. "Curse you, Kakarot! You will pay for this!"

It was a good thing that Gohan and Krillin were distances away enough to keep the Solar Flare from taking effect on them as well.

Gohan gave a huge sigh of relief and gratitude. "Dad, he's okay!"

Krillin wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Phew! I thought he was gonna be a goner."

As for Goku, he continued with his clever retaliation. He powered up, raising his power and speed for just a burst. He was in his Kaioken for this chance to somehow weaken him.

"Take this!" Goku soared quickly into the skies and then, he dove back down, using this given acceleration to boost the intensity of his attack. With red and flaring aura enclosing him, he gave a powerful hook punch straight at Vegeta's face, sending him damage. He immediately flew back into the skies and then hurried back at him; this time, he opted to use a one-two kick to push the Prince of all Saiyans back several feet away from where he stood.

Vegeta was in more pain, yet his vision was still blurred. "GAH! C-curse you! I still can't see! I will get you for this, Kakarot! Do you hear me? I will!" he roared with rage and resentment towards this low-class Saiyan. He thought that he can easily conquer Goku, his friends and family now with this transformation that was considered the true power of the Saiyan race, yet his opponents were still surviving this combat including Goku whom he considered just a third-class, a weakling like Raditz and Bardock.

Was he finally seeing that he was just wrong on this? Was he just underestimating the Z-warriors' powers all along since the moment he placed his feet on the soils of Earth?

Goku turned around to look at Gohan and Krillin another time, and just several feet from behind the two of them were Great Ape Bardock and Raditz. They continued to destroy their surroundings. They were still in full rage from when Goku gave them the Double Kamehameha so as to prevent them from hurting his friend and son.

It was about time they take these Great Apes' distraction and bewilderment to their advantage.

"Krillin! Gohan!" Goku said as loud as he could. "Go ahead! Cut off Raditz's and Bardock's tail now! I'll take care of Vegeta!"

"Right, Goku!" Krillin heard him. He turned to Gohan. "Gohan, stay close to me, all right? We'll work together on this."

Gohan understood. "Okay, let's do this."

"Be careful!" Goku told them. He quickly turned around to keep an eye on Vegeta. He proceeded to settle on top of another rocky canyon. He remembered his ultimate technique that he had said he will resort to do, and now it was the perfect time to make this happen.

Unbroken meditation and spiritual strength were the essential keys to make this technique as extraordinarily powerful as it can get. Goku took a deep breath. Then, he slowly lifted his arms and he closed his eyes. He tried to collect all of the energy that the living things could grant to him. His fatigue, internal and external injuries were impeding him just a bit though, but if he could just mentally remove all painful senses in his body and just dwell into the serenity that was resting in his mind, in no time, his Spirit Bomb will soon happen.

As for Gohan and Krillin, they returned to the arch canyon they were hiding underneath earlier. Instead of taking flight, they ran instead and be somehow closer to Bardock and Raditz without getting hurt. The closer they were, the more quakes were felt underneath their feet and the more they had to be wary of their incoming attacks and heavy rocks shooting into the air.

Krillin and Gohan hid behind a boulder this time. Krillin watched the uncontrollable Great Apes for a short moment. "Hmm, this is a lot tougher than I thought. It would be good if we can somehow cut their tails in one move."

"Can't you use your Destructo Disk?" asked Gohan.

"That's what I was thinking, but I have to be careful though. I don't want it hitting them in the wrong spots," Krillin mentioned.

Gohan stared at the apes this time. "I need to distract them somehow without letting them see me and without getting hurt, then you can make your move, Krillin."

With a smile on his face, Krillin had to look at the young half-Saiyan. "Hah, hah! You've really changed, Gohan. A warrior is what you've become to be."

He also surprised himself with this remarkable change in him, but he must also confess that he was still awfully scared just being in this very intense battle. What had kept him going was his master, Piccolo, and his words that taught him to always be strong in life. His father as well was keeping him on his toes, too.

Gohan had made promises that he will stand alongside his family and friends and overcome any challenges they may face.

He was still scared to death, but he kept relentless courage in his young heart.

"All right, Gohan," Krillin told him. "I'll give you the signal and then we'll go. Keep a safe distance from them and try to keep them where they are while I'll quickly get behind them and cut off their tails!"

"Right!" nodded Gohan.

The two were prepared to go until suddenly, two hands just grabbed their backs and pulled them backwards, which made them trip and fall. "OW!" the two yelped.

Krillin held the back of his head. "What the? What the heck was that all about-huh? Yajirobe?!"

"Yajirobe, it's you," Gohan saw it was really him.

Without a doubt, it was Yajirobe. "Are you both crazy?! You're gonna get yourselves killed by those giant monkeys!"

Krillin gave a look instead. "Well, it's about time you got here. You've been hiding all this time, man! Do you always have to scamper off every time there's an important fight going on?"

Yajirobe spat at him. "Don't judge me! I have a very good reason why I just came here not too long ago."

"And let me tell you what that good reason of yours will be," Krillin stood up, wiping the dust from his clothing, "and that's to help us cut off Bardock's and Raditz's tails," he then pointed at the sword sheath that was attached on Yajirobe's waist. "Look, you have your sword with you, and didn't you say it can cut through almost _anything_? That should really help right now!"

"No way!" Yajirobe shouted. "I ain't gonna risk my life getting near those monsters just to get rid of their tails. Here's an idea! Why not you just blast the moon and that should get 'em back to normal."

This made Gohan and Krillin glance at the moon.

Krillin thought about it for a moment. "It's worth a try, but even with half of a Senzu Bean Gohan and I ate earlier ago, we don't have that much energy still to release that much power that can travel long distances and blast off the moon-WAAH!"

With his foot, Yajirobe had just pushed Krillin's back and insisted, "Just try it anyway!" he spat again.

Gohan tried to keep them calm. "Hey, guys, now's not the time to fight here."

Krillin held his back. "Geez, Yajirobe! Fine, I'll try, but it won't work. Just watch!" wanting to prove he was wrong, he quickly placed his hands together and took as much power as he can. Blue lights began to emit from the center of his palm and they spread all over the place. Making his attack strong enough, but not too much that could drain all of his energy, he placed his hands in front of him and yelled, "Kamehameha!"

This blue, vivid beam made its way as far as it could towards the moon, breaking through even the highest elevated clouds in the atmosphere, but it did not go as far as Krillin, or at least Yajirobe, hoped it would go. The Kamehameha wave just vanished.

Yajirobe began to laugh to himself nervously. He scratched his cheek. "Oh, heh, heh…I see your point."

"You see now?" Krillin told him. He then focused back on what he and Gohan had to do. "Okay, no time to waste. We need to-h-huh?"

He did not notice that the bright lights that were emitted from his hands earlier had actually caught Bardock's attention, but not Raditz since his back was turned from them. Great Ape Bardock glared at Krillin and his allies with fiery eyes. The ferocity of his growl startled them.

"Oh man! I can't believe this!" Krillin complained.

Bardock stomped on the ground, creating a quake to make them lose their balance. Afterwards, from his throat, he released a massive wave towards them.

"Oh no!" Gohan yelled.

Yajirobe panicked immediately. "AAH! We're all gonna die!"

"Not at this time!" Krillin though kept a clear mind as he took great speed to take Yajirobe and Gohan into his arms. He used "Super Rising" to immediately soar into the night skies as far as possible. The massive wave which Bardock had released destroyed the background instead, which shot off more huge chunks of rocks in the air.

Krillin flew to another canyon and placed Gohan and Yajirobe back into safe grounds.

"Thanks, Krillin," Gohan said.

Yajirobe was shaking from too much fright; he fell to his knees and he had a shocked facial expression. "I've never seen any attack _that_ big before!"

Bardock tried to look for them, but since it was already dark, it took him some time to pinpoint their location with his eyes. Again, he bellowed and beat his fists on his chest as more rage fueled inside of him.

"Here's our chance!" Krillin said as he elevated from the ground. He turned to Yajirobe one more time. "Hey, Yajirobe, for once, help us out! Use your sword!"

With no time to delay, he and Gohan departed and they headed towards Great Ape Bardock and Raditz.

"Wait a minute, guys! Don't leave me here!" Yajirobe shouted, but his pleads were unheard.

Gohan and Krillin tried to sneak-in unseen, as discreetly as they could while Bardock continued finding them. They also hoped that Raditz was too busy to even notice they were there.

_"Almost there," _Gohan thought to himself. His plan was to launch some energy blasts on his own in the open space, to somehow confuse Bardock as his mind would try to comprehend where these blasts were coming from.

Goku's son bent his arms to his waist, his hands already shining in dimmed and blinking lights. He looked out for Krillin who was able to hurry behind Bardock with success. He, too, was collecting energy to make his Destructo Disk. He planned to maneuver it by hand as accurately as he can in order to cut off Bardock's and Raditz's tail in just one hit.

Gohan was about to do his first set of energy blasts until he did not expect that Great Ape Bardock had somehow sensed the half-Saiyan despite of his turbulent mind. He turned around and locked his eyes on him, his eyes glowing more of fierce red.

"What?!" Gohan did not anticipate this.

Krillin realized that their plan was suddenly collapsing. "Oh no, Gohan!"

Bardock gave the most piercing cry ever as he headed near the half-Saiyan, swinging his arms at him and discharging enormous beams from his mouth to destroy his own grandson. Gohan kept his awareness intact as he did his best to avoid his every attack without getting hurt. He tried to take wing higher into the skies to somehow escape from him, but Bardock's massive beams can still extend as far as Gohan could fly.

Gohan was terribly frightened, but he was more concerned about his grandfather. He had no idea what he was doing, but it was not his fault at all. He tried to speak to his grandfather, hoping that his voice would make him remember who he was. "Grandpa Bardock, please remember me! I'm your grandson, Gohan! Please, stop destroying this place!"

His voice did nothing at all to make him listen, and Bardock pursued after him. Just before he made his next incoming move on Gohan, he then suddenly felt someone was holding onto his tail. It was Krillin who was trying to divert his attention from Gohan. Bardock became aggravated to feel this, he roared louder and moved his tail back and forth, trying to make Krillin release his grip.

"Rrrgh!" Krillin held as tightly as he could while enduring these fast up and down movements. When he was lifted back into the air, it was when Krillin had let go. He took this lift to increase his power into his right leg as he gave an unexpected sidekick to Bardock's back. Though it was not enough to make him fall over, it was enough to make him feel some pain to distract him.

"Here goes nothing!" Krillin took this chance now to create his Destructo Disk as swift as he can, yet due to the brief struggle that went on between Gohan and Bardock, Great Ape Raditz had heard of this and he shifted his focus to Krillin and Gohan this time.

Raditz dashed towards the monk fighter while giving a bellowing howl, and he was about to end Krillin's existence by crushing him with his own gigantic foot.

Gohan was able to spot this. He had no choice but to hurt his own uncle. "Uncle Raditz, stop!" he needed to release his first set of energy blasts straight to his uncle's face instead, which distracted him, giving time for Krillin to escape from Raditz.

Krillin had no other choice but to fly back again into the skies to avoid Bardock and Raditz so he and Gohan can re-strategize.

"Thanks, Gohan. I owe you one. Are you doing all right?" Krillin asked.

"Yes, but watch out! Grandpa is coming at us!" Gohan told him.

Bardock advanced forward, prepared to give them a beating until he was certain he had finally destroyed the two.

At the other side of the ruined battlefield, Goku was still gathering the energy he needed; on the other hand, Vegeta's vision was still blurred, but he was slowly getting it back. Goku kept his arms raised high into the skies. Regardless of all the worries in his uneasy mind, he continued to remind himself that he needed to stay calm. He cannot make one error in making this technique of great strength. If he did, its potential may not be enough and all of his efforts will be thrown to waste then. He had already done his chant in which he asked all living things in nature to lend their energy to him. When he had said this, glimmering, white sparkles started to depart from all living things and they entered Goku's weakened body.

To Goku, it felt like almost hours just to make the Spirit Bomb, but in reality, it had only been a minute or so. "No, don't rush. Don't feel pressured. Just stay calm. The Spirit Bomb needs to be completed!" he told himself, keeping tranquility and endurance flowing within him.

Finally, Vegeta's vision had gone back to normal. The moment he released his gloved hands from his face, there lied nothing but resentment in it. "Curse you, Kakarot!" he gave a shattering cry.

The echoes of his howl almost made Goku's focus disappear, yet he made every effort to keep his mind, body, and soul calm. He had to admit that preparing for this ultimate skill of his was getting difficult by the second.

All of a sudden, he felt a gentle surge of outstanding and mystic power in his body after he had combined the energy from all living things they can bestow upon him.

Vegeta then turned around and saw Goku. "Hah, hah! You're mine now!"

Goku's heart beat more rapidly, but soon, his instincts called onto him. His eyes opened wide. "All right! The Spirit Bomb's complete!" he held his right hand immediately and he clenched it. When he tightened his palm, a spark quickly came into view. Soon, rotating swirls of clear mists and light like stars gracefully moving in a unique fractal enclosed his right hand.

Gohan and Krillin were still trying to escape from Bardock's clutches. Occasionally, they were launching energy blasts at him to make him lose sight of them, but he would still locate them one way or another.

"He's not giving up, isn't he?!" Krillin said while releasing continuous, homing waves from his palms.

"No matter what I say, Grandpa and Uncle can't remember us at all!" Gohan was very worried for his grandfather's and his uncle's well-being overall.

To their shock though, Great Ape Raditz was on the pursuit for them as well. The moment he saw their faces, he released an enormous beam of violet energy straight towards the half-Saiyan and the monk fighter.

It was moving to them fast, but they still had enough strength in their bodies to allow them to escape it once more. They did not, however, anticipate the next attack coming from Bardock. Surprisingly, he was able to take flight, lifting himself up a few feet in air, despite of his heavy size. With his right hand drawn back, at full force and power, he drew it forward and was close in attacking both Krillin and Gohan.

Yajirobe saw this and closed his eyes, thinking it was the end for them.

Krillin and Gohan felt petrified. Their hearts nearly stopped. Krillin, however, took an act of urgency as he shielded Gohan and himself with some sort of force field that immediately protected the two of them. Since this shield was made from a spontaneous reflex though, its effectiveness was only little compared to an incoming, overwhelming punch from Bardock. Bardock proceeded to present his most ferocious strike ever.

"Uwagh!" Krillin felt excruciating pain hurting his entire body. Thanks to the force field though, the damage was only reduced to half, but this protective shield instantly shattered and he including Gohan was blown away towards a mountain. They collided against its surface hard, sending more pain into their bodies.

"Gah!" Gohan cried out in pain as well, almost feeling paralyzed.

Goku's ears immediately picked up these sudden cries of pain. He became very concerned and anxious. As quick as he can, he turned around and saw that his son and his friend were in deep trouble. "Krillin? Gohan? Hold on, guys, I'm coming!" forgetting about his battle with Vegeta for now, he darted towards them to rescue them both from the clutches of Bardock and Raditz.

Vegeta saw where he was going to and this infuriated him. "Kakarot!" he bellowed, hating him for leaving their fight that was only between the two of them without any interference.

Raditz, this time, readied for a brutal attack to finish off Krillin and Gohan. From the center of his body, flashing, dark rays emerged as he was all set to discharge a terrifying, super shockwave that will, without a doubt, perish half of the already-ruined fighting zone and bring Goku's family and friends into complete obliteration.

This horrified Goku deep to the core, but it had unconsciously given him this enhanced quickness and heightened senses, which came from his intuition to protect the ones he cared. He had no other choice but to go back into his Kaioken form. He dashed towards his transformed father and brother to stop them.

"HYAAH!" with a strong, battle cry, Goku tremendously punched Raditz straight to his gut, this abrupt, overwhelming pain vibrating throughout his brother's body. Due to this enhanced strength Goku had gained, Raditz's incoming super shockwave was instantly canceled. Raditz screamed in anger, his piercing howls shattering the night skies.

Bardock had definitely saw Goku the moment when he arrived, yet to his eyes, he did not see him as his son but just a complete nuisance. He growled at him, showing his fangs to intimidate him, and he decided to attack him head-on.

Goku sensed him coming. Because of this, he took more power into his body. He had to send a grueling sidekick to Bardock's face along with a sparking uppercut to his chin. Bardock jerked back while covering his face with his hands after he got a taste of his Kaioken-driven strikes of grace, yet explosive power.

Goku did not end there, however. He rushed behind Bardock and he struck him again, making the ferocious ape collide against Great Ape Raditz. Due their colossal sizes and height, they lost their coordination completely, easily falling on top of each other, which made way for more violent shakes and trembles on the ground.

Yajirobe was some safe distances away, still watching this fight with great fear and hesitance. He lost balance and fell to the ground. He hid his face. "This is all a dream! This is all a dream!" he panicked.

Goku grabbed Gohan and Krillin and took them away from the two uncontrollable Great Apes for a while. His son and friend took a while to gain back their awareness.

"Oh, what happened?" Gohan held his head.

"Are you all right, guys?" asked Goku. He lowered his head and felt some shame in his heart. "I'm really sorry you have to be involved in this mess. But I promise you, I'll find a way somehow to end this madness!"

Krillin rubbed his back. "I really hope this ends quickly. Facing three giant apes at the same time is _not_ an easy task!"

Their conversation was cut short when Great Ape Vegeta had already caught up with the determined Goku along with his son and friend. He frightened the three with his gigantic appearance as well as the towering strength he proudly possessed. "Forgetting about someone, Kakarot?!" he smirked.

If his intent was to eradicate his son and his friend, Goku will not allow him to carry on with his evil ways. He remained in his Kaioken form as he fought Vegeta face-to-face. He was able to land a successful, dynamic punch to his cheek, leaving a trail of red aura behind, and then he followed with a high front kick to his chin.

"Rrrgh!" Vegeta tried to resist this though.

With the Spirit Bomb remaining dormant in his right palm, Goku knew it was that time to release its full potent. While Vegeta was temporarily sidetracked from his flurry of attacks, Goku hastened behind him and was prepared to unveil his most powerful finisher ever learned. He slowly drew his right arm back, the glistening, white mists were ablaze and they were awakening with a lot of spirit around his palm. The crystal-clear lights were shining with more vigor, ready to be freed. "Here it goes! Go-!"

_Fwish!_

Just before Goku had carried out his ultimate attack, he was surprised to know that Great Ape Vegeta had suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye. Goku did not expect for the Saiyan Prince to have suddenly teleported behind him without any warning. Goku's mind was instantly invaded with fear. He did not sense him at all.

"You're finished!" Vegeta brutally hit Goku with his left hand and he hurled him towards an intact canyon near-by. Due to the narrow space between it and Goku, the clash was heavy enough to smash the entire canyon into many pieces.

Witnessing such overwhelming potential gained from the elite's transformation and enduring such excruciating pain almost made Goku's body paralyzed and his mind traumatized.

"Daddy!" cried Gohan when he saw this.

Goku almost fainted. If he was not a Saiyan in the first place, he would have been a goner already. He noticed though that he could still move. His senses were still with him; therefore, the valiant warrior attempted for a fast counterattack with equalized strength.

Goku strongly fought the pain hindering him. "HYAH!" he powered-up and countered, giving a clean, direct punch to Vegeta's face. Trails of white sparks and cosmic-like red aura were left behind from his fist; however, his eyes widened with terror to see that his punch now had little effect on his adversary this time due to his defense going down significantly.

Vegeta took this vulnerability of his now to his advantage by striking Goku directly to the ground. Using his left foot, he deliberately stomped him on his knees, breaking his bones.

Goku's eyes nearly turned white and he screamed with horror. "AAUGH!"

"Goku, NO!" Krillin yelled to see his friend being tortured.

"DAD!" Gohan's heart nearly stopped.

Yajirobe also saw this, too, and he bit his lip while quivering with more fear. "Dang, this is horrible!"

Vegeta laughed at Goku's pain and at his helpless expression. He was nothing more now but a useless warrior who could not do anything else, but to wither. "Oh, did I crush your legs?" he mocked him. "I'm sorry! I guess I don't know my own power! HYAH!" he stomped again and broke his bones even more.

Goku screamed without end. He shook his head from left to right, placing his hands on his forehead. He felt all of his senses were lost in his lower body. Again, if he was not a Saiyan in the first place, he would have been long gone already. It was still a miracle how he was alive up until now from all this torture, but Goku just could not take this agony any longer.

Because of Vegeta's pride, he still wanted to see him suffer more; therefore, he quickly picked up Goku from the ground and he began to compress his body this time with both of his hands, draining every bit of life until he was dead once again.

"GAAH! AUGH!" Goku cried in more pain than ever before, he felt a bit of tears coming from out from his eyes. His body was too wounded that it forced him to revert back to his original state. The Spirit Bomb that he was wielding in his right hand with its incredible power ready to be unlocked had to lay dormant once more. In fact, it appeared to be that what was keeping Goku alive was the Spirit Bomb's hidden, almost healing-like energy resting inside of his body, which was helping him to keep on living at least. Of course, this may not last for too long.

"Yes, you see now, Kakarot?" Vegeta told him. He believed that he had rightfully earned back his title as the mightiest of all Saiyans, the strongest, most fearless warrior in the universe. "I'm the one who reigns at the end. No low-class like you can beat me this time. You really think strength alone is not enough to beat your opponent? You were wrong there! It's all over for you now and for this puny planet!" he declared while compressing him even more.

Gohan could not stand watching this anymore. He stood up and made the decision to risk his own life to save his father. "Daddy! Let go of my dad…NOW!" that feeling was returning to him once more, that burning emotion which may help unveil the other hidden warrior inside of him.

Krillin, however, restrained Gohan by grabbing him and keeping him to where he was. He knew his fury will only do him more harm than good. "No, Gohan, you need to stay back! Vegeta can kill you if he does!"

"NO! Let go of me!" Gohan refused. "I need to go help my father!" he tried to get away from Krillin's hold, but Krillin just cannot let him go at this time.

Vegeta busied himself injuring Goku as much as he wanted, and after hearing what Gohan said, he told the young warrior, "The fate of your worthless father has already been decided, incompetent fool, and you will not interfere with it!" his evil, red eyes suddenly brightened and without hesitance, he discharged two eye beams. He intentionally hit the tip of the canyon instead, letting the force of the beams' explosion blow Krillin and Gohan farther away from him and Goku.

As for Great Ape Bardock and Raditz, they had recovered from Goku's attacks, but the more they were hurt, the angrier they will become. Raditz continued with his mayhem, his rage reaching almost its peak to the point he may no longer be able to stop himself. These quakes he was making were actually reaching where Yajirobe was hiding from.

Yajirobe began running for his life as many fractures were beginning to appear on the ground, which can make way for deep pits and divided grounds if this destruction was triggered more. He panicked. "Aah! Need to get outta here!" as he sprinted away though, he had been looking at the Great Apes' tails for a while.

Krillin and Gohan were carried off with the wind and in addition, more injuries were brought upon them from the heated rays emitted from Vegeta's eye beam attack as well as the explosion that came afterwards. Krillin and Gohan fell slowly to the grounds; their clothes were more in tatters now with more open wounds and scratches on their bodies.

"No! Goku…!" Krillin tried to speak. He needed to help his best friend, but he just could not move a muscle at this time.

Gohan bit his lips with tears coming out from his eyes. He clenched his fists as he tried to force himself to prevail over his wounds, to stand right back up on his two feet so that he may save his father, but his awful wounds were keeping him to where he was. He was very afraid that he may lose his father again.

Goku's screams of pain were shattering that they echoed throughout the area. This was how agonizing it was, making Goku almost feel he was melting from the inside. Goku continued to suffer and wither, wishing that this will all just stop. He needed a miracle to happen.

Vegeta although took great pleasure in hearing his endless suffering.

Great Ape Bardock was about to join Raditz in his continued rampage of this site until it transforms into nothing but a wasteland; however, the constant cries and screams from Goku made Bardock suddenly…stop.

Bardock fidgeted a little as rage persisted to invade his body and mind, yet his ears were now listening more to these cries of pain that were begging for this torture to seize its merciless bringer of endless suffering. Bardock did not know where these screams belonged to…until he turned around slowly. The vicious ape that was once demolishing this battlefield had suddenly turned quiet and strangely docile.

Bardock growled almost softly and he continued to show off his fangs, but he was not exposing this because of anger, but from curiosity instead. The moment he saw Goku, his glowing, red eyes grew wide. Unexpectedly, a very vivid memory passed in his head.

In this memory, he saw a person, a Saiyan in resilient armor made for battle, and he was looking through a glass window, which divided him and an infant who was on his crib, crying and wailing loudly, seeking for warmth from his family. The infant, although he was told he possessed such a low fighting level, his cries contradicted to what his calculated power level was. His cries were described to have a lot of life in them. They were the cries of a great warrior.

The infant continued to cry, whimper, and wail while the person from the other side stared at him with confusion and frustration for him not being too special, yet also sympathy and hope for his future, believing that he can be…someone great someday.

The memory soon passed. Bardock kept standing in the same spot for a while. His face seemed like he was trying to comprehend what he just saw, what the significance was behind that memory. He was not focused anymore in his mindless rage. His eyes were just fixed on Goku.

As for Great Ape Vegeta, he incessantly laughed at Goku's great affliction. He ever so enjoyed making his opponents suffer especially if it was someone he had always known, or should be, inferior to him. "Hah, hah, hah! The pain is too much, isn't it? I'll deliver you some more!" he compressed Goku even tighter.

Goku screamed helplessly. "GAAH! AAH!"

Bardock stood there motionless, his hands trembling. Very soon, more anger built up inside in his pounding heart which had supposedly to have forgotten all the sympathy he had for the ones he cared, but this kind of rage was not the mindless kind. It was actually…care for his own…son.

Vegeta had not ended the battle yet as he wanted to punish Goku more for trying to humiliate the Prince of all Saiyans, himself, whom people had once feared his name and will continue to be fearful of him, and to bow down before the mighty prince of terrible power and might.

"Now!" Vegeta roared, finally deciding to give the final blow to Goku and make him vanish forever.

Goku heard this and actually believed this was truly the end for him.

Then, all of a sudden, Vegeta felt stinging pain immediately plaguing his body when a surprising energy blast just hit his back. He lost his focus and he was slightly wounded as well. This distraction made him loosen his grip on Goku, but he still held onto him. Once Goku felt this release, he let out a heavy sigh of fatigue, but the terrible ache still consumed his entire body. He lowered his head.

Vegeta became confused, but more enraged. He wondered who had dared to interrupt his moment of triumph.

"Ugh! Who did that? I demand to know!" he quickly turned around and realized that it was Great Ape Bardock who had done it. He had his mouth opened; his body was still fidgeting.

"What?" Great Ape Vegeta exclaimed.

Goku weakly opened an eye. "D-Dad?"

Krillin and Gohan realized that Goku was not screaming in pain anymore. They shook more, hating to know what could have happened to him. The two of them stood up as they were prepared for the worse, but instead, they saw that Goku was still alive and Vegeta's eyes were on Bardock now.

"Huh? What happened?" asked Krillin.

Gohan worriedly looked at his father.

Vegeta gave a glare at the unmoving Bardock. "Bardock?" he said.

It was as if Bardock was suddenly able to take control of his mind. Through his body moving uneasily, his mouth still growling and showing off his fangs to the prince, out of the blue, he actually uttered a word! "K-k…Ka-Kakarot…!"

Vegeta became shocked to hear this. He thought that this was highly impossible for a third-class Saiyan warrior to have suddenly spoken like that. Only those who were elites and of royal blood were able to talk even in their Great Ape transformations, but he was proven wrong on this.

Bardock was able to break through the chaos of his mind. As of now, he can somehow control himself.

He roared, quickly darting towards the prince and did a shocking fist to his face. Vegeta did not expect this for him to take assault towards his foe.

"GAAH!" Vegeta cried, forcing to let go of Goku due to the unforeseen pain that Bardock had given to him.

"Daddy!" Gohan watched his father falling from the skies. He took flight and caught him, and both father and son then dropped to the ground due to Goku's weight and injured body.

Gohan held his father's head and shoulders. "Daddy, please wake up!" he pleaded.

Goku heard his son's voice and it somehow gave him strength to find his despite of his severely wounded body. "Go-Gohan?"

"Daddy, you're okay," Gohan smiled.

Goku nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm okay. Sorry for worrying you, Son."

Krillin ran to Goku and he knelt beside his friend. "Man, Goku, I'm so glad you're safe! I thought Vegeta will have you for sure!"

Goku grunted. He slowly turned his neck to witness Bardock and Vegeta now having this stare-down. "What's going on with Bardock? It looks like he-"

"I guess he remembered you, Goku," Krillin thought. "He's somehow back to his senses."

"This is outrageous!" Vegeta declared. He shook his head, trying to rid of this humiliating ache he had received from someone who he believed should be a thousand times less strong than him. "Your mind should have left you under your transformation, particularly that you're still a low-class scum. How is this possible?"

Bardock was fuming, now hating this Saiyan Prince so much. After seeing Goku being tormented by him, he will never forgive him. "RAARGH!" he howled. He elevated in air and flew towards Vegeta.

Vegeta bent his arms to his waist as he locked his eyes firmly onto his opponent, ready to do serious battle with him.

In a split second, the two fearsome Great Apes immediately exchanged blow shots. Their punches and kicks generated invisible shockwaves, demolishing the background bit by bit. Their rush combo gave out sounds like loud thunder in a rainy storm. Their auras became visible and they clashed at each other with great intensity.

"What power!" Krillin exclaimed. This was the first time for him including his allies to see two giant apes battling each other.

At the end, Bardock and Vegeta then gripped each other's massive hands, their auras still colliding against each other. They strove to overpower one another to see who will fall first and become defeated.

"I've already been humiliated enough!" Vegeta told Bardock. "I will not get humiliated by you again for the second time!" he vowed to himself that he will never let anyone prevail over him in any way especially those with lower status than him. He was the Prince of all Saiyans, and this title he will never lose or abdicate to anyone else.

In response and by instincts, Vegeta roared at his opponent as loud as he could to instill some fear in his mind to make him lose this battle.

Just before everything was to be decided, another blast came out from nowhere and struck Bardock this time on his back. The pain was, at first, nothing to him since his mind was too occupied on his fight, but it gradually became more noticeable after a while. He turned around and saw Great Ape Raditz who had become aware of this commotion that had been going on. He decided to intervene, of course, his mind having no idea what it was trying to do but to tear down everything in its way including friend or foe.

Vegeta took his opponent's distraction to his advantage as he powerfully struck Bardock to the surface. After he did this though, Raditz then carried a humongous boulder into his arms and he threw it towards Vegeta and his own father.

"HYAAH!" Vegeta used a knife-hand strike to slice the boulder into a thousand pieces. The broken, masses of rocks dispersed everywhere like meteors. Gohan and Krillin, while holding Goku, avoided these by moving farther back to keep a safe distance from the three Great Apes that were now at grueling war against each other.

After Vegeta had blown the boulder into bits, unexpectedly, he felt a tight grip on his leg. Bardock had just grabbed him and he strongly pulled him down to the surface hard, flat on his face, inflicting such harsh pain to his front body.

Bardock stood up as fast as he could regardless of his humongous size. He continued to do more battle with the Saiyan Prince until his own son, Raditz, locked him into his arms from behind and squeezed him as tightly as he could. Bardock roared in pain, trying to escape from him.

The Saiyan Prince quickly sprang back up on his two feet with more rage seething in his chest. Every time he thought victory was coming in his path, one way or another, someone was always there to thwart his moment of triumph. Almost losing his thoughts and senses, Vegeta was in a kind of enraged state beyond his imagination. He howled at the top of his voice.

"That's it! You both will be killed!" he charged towards Raditz and Bardock in a rapid speed no one could possibly anticipate. He threw a heavy punch to Bardock's face and then, with his gloved fists clasped together, he gave a hard-knuckled strike on Raditz's head. Once they collided with the ground, Vegeta immediately placed his hand in front of the two Great Apes. After spinning, blazing rays were formed from the center of his palm, he released a vibrant, yet destructive sphere, waking a huge explosion once it made contact with the two giant apes.

Krillin, Gohan, and Goku had to cover their eyes from this sight. Once the fog had cleared up, Bardock and Raditz now had more wounds on their bodies along with scratches and a few broken parts on their armor. They were outraged to have been hurt like this, but they were now too weakened to move. They could only stand on one knee this time. Vegeta advanced towards them, his presence shadowing the now weakened apes. The two tried to fight back, but the prince suddenly grabbed them both by the neck. His anger had risen to its peak that both of his hands began to electrify in violet lightning, which were ready to claim Bardock's and Raditz's life.

"I assure you that you'll be long gone from this planet after this mighty attack! Say goodbye!" Vegeta shouted.

Goku was horrified when he heard this. He wanted to save them, but these severe injuries were binding him down like chains. Goku was devastated to know he may be too late. To Krillin and Gohan, they, too, were shocked, but they saw this as another opportunity that was opened up to them. Their plan that they had hoped to accomplish way earlier ago can be accomplished again.

"Wait a minute! Gohan, now's our chance!" Krillin told him.

He understood what he meant; therefore, he and Krillin lifted themselves up into the night skies as they reacted faster than Vegeta's incoming, final attack on Bardock and Raditz.

Gohan placed his hands on his forehead, gathering as much energy as he could in just a second, and he placed his hands forward. "Masenko-HA!" despite of his weakened body, this golden beam of his was still quite filled with brilliant strength because of the unending care he had for his family and friends. He intentionally aimed it towards the ground in order to distract Vegeta and let another round of hazy fog to come into view. It was a success, yet Vegeta's attention was slightly diminished as if he had mentally prepared himself for this.

Krillin went as fast as he can to prepare for a Destructo Disk move before Vegeta could have finished off Bardock and Raditz for good…until someone moved in the shadows almost unseen, Krillin did not know who that was.

Vegeta was prepared to send his Bardock and Raditz to their own dooms until…he suddenly froze. Every feeling he had all over his body had been lost for no rhyme or reason. He felt that the tremendous potential he gained from his monstrous transformation just vanished into thin-air.

He now felt like something was missing.

Krillin, Gohan, and even Goku wondered why everything just fell quiet. They wondered who the shadow was they saw.

"What the?" Krillin noticed that the figure can now be seen clearly. It was behind Vegeta whose tail…had finally been cut off! "Huh? Yajirobe!" he exclaimed.

Yajirobe, with his sword shining with a lustrous streak under the full moon, used this opportunity to slice off Vegeta's tail and end his transformation once and for all. Even though he had always hated fighting and had always made up excuses of not being involved in one, at this moment, he just needed to help his friends for once.

Once Yajirobe landed on the other side, he almost tripped. "Wah!" he yelped. He then yelled at Gohan and Krillin, "Hurry up and hit 'em now, you guys!" he then scurried off again into hiding.

Gohan laughed happily. "Yajirobe!" he said.

Krillin had a smile on his face. "Hah, hah! All right, Yajirobe!" he laughed; he was very thankful for him to have helped out in this crucial battle.

Goku smiled a little, knowing that Yajirobe had decided to commit a heroic act.

Soon, Krillin's Destructo Disk was completed and he threw it towards Raditz first. The disk sliced off his tail and he, too, was in a frozen state in an instant like how Vegeta was now. Krillin was prepared to fire another one for Bardock until suddenly, another energy attack similar to his Destructo Disk was launched towards Bardock this time and it cut off his tail with success.

"Huh?" Krillin wondered who finished the job for him. He looked at Goku and noticed that he had his left arm up, but struggling to keep it up there. Even though he was terribly injured, the bones of his lower body had been fractured greatly, that still did not stop him from helping out his friend and son.

Goku weakly turned to Krillin and chuckled softly. "Heh, heh."

Krillin nodded and gave him a thumps-up.

"Dad!" Gohan smiled.

Vegeta shook his head. He almost cannot believe this. To the Z-fighters' minds, this was his second defeat already. "No! What have you done, you fools?! No!" he exclaimed.

Vegeta, Raditz, and Bardock shrunk slowly and they reverted back to their normal sizes. They lost all their body fur, their Saiyan armor went back to its original fitting, and they returned to their original states. Their tails that were cut off had become smaller and they simply disappeared. Soon, their transformations had ended. In no time, they were back to normal.

Raditz and Bardock closed their eyes. This transformation they had undergone brought them to complete exhaustion, which made them nearly lose their memory of what they had almost done to their family and friends. It felt like to them they were trapped in this dream-like state of nightmares. They breathed heavily while falling to their knees and they lied down almost unconscious on the wrecked grounds. Some blood from their new, open wounds slowly poured out from them. Both father and son continued to breathe heavily.

Goku smiled with relief. "They…they've finally changed back, Raditz and Dad…"

Krillin and Gohan also felt relief in their minds. They hoped that if there were any more conflicts they must confront, they can keep on fighting still.

As for Vegeta, he continued to stand in one place. He stared at his torn gloved hands, seeing his own flesh with more blood and bruises on them and everywhere on his body. He cannot believe his victory that he had desired to reach to obliterate his enemies had left again. He felt like he had been pushed back many more steps from achieving his wish for immortality.

He just cannot believe this at all.

However, this anger of his remained scorching in his heart. His mind was stuck on one thought now: he had made a grave mistake. He should have finished the Z-warriors since the beginning when he made his presence known in this planet.


	38. The Terror Remains

Episode 38

The Terror Remains

"This can't be happening," Vegeta had his eyes fixated on his torn gloves, seeing his flesh covered in new wounds from the result of his opponents' unexpected strength. It was because of their determination, their faith and belief in their hearts that were motivating them to move forward. They were truly defending the Earth for as long as they can even if it meant making such noble sacrifices.

To the Saiyan Prince, this was nothing more but great humiliation to him. For once, he felt he was giving shame to his regal bloodline, to his ancestors, to the entire Saiyan race who had always looked upon themselves with great pride and looked down on those who were weak and worthless, including a few of their own kind who had decided to run away from their destinies of becoming heartless, killer Saiyans.

Krillin and Gohan were still Goku while they kept their eyes on Vegeta. The three just sensed his fighting level rapidly increasing, which made them more anxious.

Even Yajirobe was watching the enemy. He was still hiding, keeping himself concealed from Vegeta. He did not want him to know that he was the one who cut off his tail. "Oh man, he looks pretty annoyed," he said.

Krillin shook his head. "This doesn't look good. We may have cut his tail off, but I don't see any signs of him getting weaker."

Gohan continued to hold his father. "What we did only made him only angrier," even at his current condition, Vegeta was still as dangerous as he had always been.

Vegeta slowly placed his hands to his sides, his expression gradually filling with more rage. As he clenched his hands, gritted his teeth, and his eyes burnt with anger, he heard a faint grunt from a distance. His eyes shifted towards Bardock and Raditz now. They were not unconscious from their transformations, but they were extremely hurt and fatigued.

The Saiyan Prince despised them so much as he had never despised them before. He will hate them for the rest of his life. These low-class soldiers, these weaklings, as he would always see them, had no right to humiliate the prince of a reputable, fierce, and fighting race.

Raditz was slowly getting up as he tried to prop himself with his left arm. His vision was all blurred and he could barely remember anything.

This angered Vegeta more to see his enemies rising up again from these grounds of defeat. "How dare you humiliate me like this!" he yelled at Raditz and Bardock.

The moment he took a step forward towards Raditz and Bardock, Gohan reacted to this. He cannot let the Saiyan Prince lay a finger on his family. He feared for the worst for he may kill another one. "Get away from them! Hyah!" Gohan levitated from the grounds. Without any hesitance, he actually fought him for himself. It was that strange emotion lying quietly inside of him, which veiled another warrior beneath him, that was giving him this strength of mind.

Krillin shook his head, becoming nervous. He may be strong, but he was only a child still. "Huh? Wait a minute! Gohan!" he tried to stop him.

Goku's lower half of his body had lost all feeling except agonizing pain plaguing his broken legs. He wanted to stop his son, but he could not do anything at all. "G-Gohan, please!"

Vegeta, however, immediately sensed the approaching half-Saiyan. The moment he turned around and glared at him, Gohan saw this fierce look and his heart suddenly raced as fear invaded his young mind. The young warrior though kept his courage strong as he attempted to attack the Saiyan elite straight on. He drew his right hand back and then drew it forward, giving his fastest and strongest punch ever yet, but he did not realize that he missed his attack instead.

"W-what?" Gohan was shocked.

"How dare you _all_ humiliate me like this!" Vegeta screamed, hating every single one of his opponents in this ruined war zone. Without any mercy, he gave Gohan a crushing sidekick straight to his stomach.

Gohan was instantly halted from his tracks. "AUGH!" he cried out. He held his stomach and he immediately fell to his knees.

Goku was horrified to hear his son's cries. He helplessly begged for Vegeta to stop. "No! Vegeta, stop it! Leave my son out of this!"

But he completely ignored his pleads. He went ahead to strike Gohan by giving a fist of wrath to his face this time. The young warrior was pulled back, feeling bruises and stinging pain all over his forehead.

"Come on, you half-Saiyan wit," Vegeta told him. "I thought you were going to save your blasted family, huh?! The blood of a Saiyan rushes through your veins. Come on, fight!" he pressured him, but he already knew that this young boy posed no threat. He was only provoking him just so he can beat him down again every time he persisted to stand up.

Vegeta wanted to make it clear to his opponents that he will continue to beat them down until they can no longer get up again. He wanted to prove that he was, indeed, the greatest warrior in the entire universe.

Gohan's mind was telling him that he needed to retaliate, but he could not find the willpower this time to keep on fighting. He realized he had made a huge mistake of taking Vegeta on his own without thinking. He did not want to let anybody down though, but he felt he could just give up. With the immense power-up that Vegeta was carrying at this moment, there was no telling how perilous he could be now.

"Such a worthless child!" Vegeta had enough of provoking Gohan. He thought of landing the final blow on him so that he may focus on his mission and that was to blow up this planet and get his wish for immortality. With no time to delay, he placed a hand in front of Gohan and dark, blinking lights began to form around his palm.

This time, Krillin must step in to save Gohan. "Don't you dare! Kyah!" as quickly as the remaining energy in his body could allow him to, he confronted Vegeta and battled him, but the Saiyan Prince did not have to break a sweat to avoid his almost lightning-speed hit.

Vegeta evaded his move and then, went for a hook kick to Krillin's face, blowing him away and making him collide against a near-by canyon.

"GAH!" Krillin shouted and fell to the floor.

Goku closed his eyes in more fear. He could not believe what was going on. "No, Krillin! Gohan! Vegeta, stop it!" he demanded from him.

"You'll get your turn soon, bald man," Vegeta said to Krillin. He shifted his focus back to Gohan once again. While he was still withering in his own fear and pain, he approached him. "I'm not through with you yet, kid."

Vegeta proudly placed his foot on Gohan's head with his face flat on the ground. He provoked him and intimidated his young, fragile mind; just looking at their faces now made Vegeta hate them more. The fact that they were still carrying some strength left, which was giving the prince an actual hard time to prevail over his opponents, the feeling of his anger was just beyond his imagination.

"Where was all that courage you were displaying before? Did it just leave you and make you the weak fighter you are now?" Vegeta questioned Gohan. Slowly though, a smirk was appearing on his face. He could see that victory was upon him once more. He felt that every time he becomes defeated after each match, he always comes back and becomes stronger, nevertheless. He felt more invisible now and no one could possibly stop him this time. "Such a disappointment. First your father, next your own grandfather and uncle, and now, you. Saiyans like you are such a disgrace!" he stated.

Gohan helplessly cried in pain, but that burning and mysterious emotion still lied inside his chest. He needed to escape from their enemy's gates of wrath. His body was too weak to move, yet this feeling was telling him something.

While Vegeta was busy making Gohan suffer again, Raditz was finally back on his feet. The world was spiraling before him and he felt he could faint after undergoing his Great Ape transformation. He held his aching arm. He tried to take a step forward; however, he fell to his knees again. He breathed heavily, feeling like he could go unconscious in any second.

As for Bardock, he now had his hands against the ground, his chest away from the surface. The moment he finally opened his eyes, he just realized he was back to normal. He could barely remember that memory when he was able to gain some control of himself during his uncontrollable transformation, yet the fact that he and his son had finally changed back to normal was all he cared about. If they were not stopped in the first place, probably Goku, Gohan, and Krillin would have not been here any longer if their mayhem was allowed to continue. He was disappointed to know that he had to lose his tail, but he did not mind about that now.

Suddenly though, he saw someone ahead of him.

He strained to stand up, the pain was binding him down, yet he refused give up at this time. He will not give in until he was certain Vegeta was out of this planet for good.

His visions had showed the cruel fates that had already befallen onto his allies, and because he was not able to prevent the imminent dooms from taking their lives, a tight, wretched feeling made his heart sink. He had the gift of foresight, but he cannot prevent any of these horrible visions from happening.

However, Bardock wanted to avenge the deaths of his fallen allies. They were all watching them from above, cheering them on, and he will not let them down.

He struggled to stand up once more. He had one knee now on the ground, but it was taking him too much time to recover from his extreme exhaustion. He touched his forehead and realized that his bandanna was gone. He gave a grunt of frustration. He must have lost it somewhere when he transformed…

Bardock then noticed the heavy damage he and his eldest son had inflicted upon this place, noticing how almost all of the rocky mountains had vanished and how all parts of the ground contained deep craters and many fractures.

Thinking he had actually forgotten every memory of what he did during his transformation, he did not. In fact, Bardock gasped after he saw Goku lying helplessly, his body severely injured beyond imagination. It was then a memory passed his mind. He remembered that Vegeta was the one who was tormenting his youngest son. It was that merciless Saiyan Prince who had brought upon his wrath to his family and friends.

Bardock's anger wanted to explode. He will never forgive this Saiyan Prince. He had no right to be hurting his own family like that. His anger augmented even more when he saw Vegeta torturing Gohan, his own grandson this time. His grandson struggled to escape from his clutches, but he was too hurt and weak to move.

Vegeta scoffed and yelled at Gohan. "You're a low-class warrior just like your father, boy. You don't deserve to be here!"

Gohan could only groan in pain while Krillin and Goku were too hurt to even save him.

Just before Vegeta had destroyed Goku's only son, he suddenly heard an enraged, battle yell from behind.

Bardock had forced himself to get up despite of the feeling he could faint without warning, but he fought this. He shook his head and he intensely locked his eyes on Vegeta. "You! Get away from him!" he placed a hand in front and released a surprising Full Power Energy Wave.

Vegeta sensed this and he was not at all intimidated. He calmly turned around and just glared at Bardock, using his left hand to easily deflect his blast. The energy wave disintegrated in the background instead.

Vegeta released his foot from Gohan's head. He faced Bardock and told him with a grin, "Well, well, it's a surprise that you and Raditz are still awake after your transformations. Not bad for a low-class soldier, but it looks you could barely even move your feet."

Bardock was trembling all over. He was already losing his stability.

"Face it, Bardock. I always rise whenever I fall. I'm unstoppable! Just give it up now," Vegeta told him. "One by one, you will fade by my hands. All of your family and friends will be destroyed by me!" he abruptly placed a hand in front of Gohan this time, attempting to obliterate him right there.

Bardock gasped and he completely froze to his feet.

Vegeta was prepared to make the move until somebody swooped in and saved Gohan from the enemy's final attack on him. In addition, Vegeta was presented with a strong, forceful sidekick to his face, repelling him back several inches, making dents on the ground.

Surprisingly, Vegeta did not lend out a single grunt of pain as if the surprise attack had no effect on him.

Bardock saw that it was Krillin who saved Gohan, and he had safely placed him back to where Goku was lying. The one who sent that blow to Vegeta was actually Raditz. Even though he could lose his conscious at any moment, Raditz needed to save his nephew and this gave him enough reason to forget his current state and save Gohan just in time.

Raditz though almost lost balance after sending that surprising attack to Vegeta. Krillin was still trying to keep his awareness intact after enduring the Saiyan elite's painful kick to his face earlier ago.

Vegeta became frustrated. He was attacked by another low-class again, this man called Raditz who, including Bardock and Goku, Vegeta believed had betrayed their destinies of always remaining killer Saiyans.

Vegeta moved his head forward while cracking his neck from side to side to show Raditz's assault meant nothing to him though. The prince pointed at him. "Don't think I'm done dealing with you, Raditz."

Raditz felt a sharp prick in his head while his eyes kept looking at Vegeta. He tried to show that he was not intimidated at all by his words. After all, Raditz still felt partly responsible for letting him come to this planet and wreak terror upon it. The least thing he could do at this time was to battle him until the very end, to hold him off from realizing his diabolical deeds and senseless desires, and to also show him not to underestimate a reborn Saiyan.

Gohan slowly sat up while holding his head. He saw Krillin standing beside him, and he was holding his head as well as remnants of the pain were there from Vegeta's full-forced attack. Both he and Gohan began to wonder. If this Saiyan Prince continued to possess this unbelievable amount of power in him, how could they possibly bring him down to defeat this time?

Gohan looked at his father beside him. "Daddy, are you all right?" he asked.

Goku's entire lower body still lost all feeling. He could not fight back at this time at all; however, he remembered something about his own son. Realizing that he used to be a timid, innocent boy who was once afraid of the huge world, who did not believe that he was capable of believing in himself, had completely changed into a whole new person, both strong in and out. Goku needed this change in his son right now and also this strength of his he tried to the best of his abilities to achieve that even Gohan did not know it was within him all along. Too much fear was just holding him back, yet Goku believed in him.

"Gohan," he slightly turned his head to look at him. "Listen to me. You need to help us beat Vegeta."

Krillin was even quite curious by what Goku meant; he had to look at him. If he was giving an already heavy responsibility to his son, it was either Goku was getting desperate, he had no other choice but to put his son in the front lines or maybe, he had a lot of faith in him actually. Krillin began to think that it was very true that Goku's son held much more potential inside of him than anyone else in this battlefield believed.

Gohan, however, felt this responsibility was too much for him. "What? But, Daddy, I'm not sure if I can. Vegeta's too strong."

"You have to keep on fighting, Gohan," Goku encouraged him. He knew that he was more than this doubtful fighter he was seeing now. "Look, Krillin and even your uncle and grandfather are here to help you. You need to find a way to stop Vegeta."

Everyone was counting on him, Gohan thought. Everyone believed in him. He was that warrior today that his friends and family wanted to see; that warrior who can fight with determination and valor. He had made many promises to himself, that he will fight alongside his family and friends and overcome any obstacles along the way. That was what a true warrior should be.

Yet, still, Gohan was just a young boy. He only wanted to be a fighter because he needed to help and protect the people he loved and cared about. That was why he was standing here today in this most perilous battle of their lives. Fighting freely was never in his blood unlike his father.

Goku sensed his son's worries and tried to set his mind at ease. "Don't worry too much, Gohan. You need to have faith in yourself. I know fighting is something you don't favor too much, but look here, Son. I know you came here for a reason."

Gohan bit his lip.

"You want to protect the people here on Earth and that is enough reason why you should fight," Goku told him. "You don't have to make fighting a part of your life, but sometimes, in situations like these, you just have to do it."

His son gazed slowly into his eyes, those eyes that had a lot of trust in him.

"Avenge your friends, Gohan. Remember the sacrifices they made. Don't let them be in vain," he reminded him.

His son quietly gasped as he remembered all the noble sacrifices his friends had made. They were all courageous at heart, not succumbing to the enemies' menace. They all stood their ground, defying all uncertainty and despair that will only make them falter, and they came out shining in the end. They were not fearful at all to fight for what was right even if it meant sacrificing their own lives just to save the ones they cared. Gohan remembered his mentor, Piccolo, who had shielded him from that death-bringing attack of Nappa. Piccolo was a man who changed at heart and who had thanked him for being a special friend of his.

"Help your grandfather and uncle, too. Work together and defeat Vegeta once and for all!" Goku gave him a boost of morale.

Gohan shook his head. He wanted to help, but he had a lot of doubt. Could he really do this? "But-!"

Suddenly, Krillin placed a hand on Gohan's shoulders to calm him down. He believed Goku knew what he was talking about and so, Krillin thought he should count on Goku's son, too. "Don't worry, Gohan. Besides, you got me to help you out. We're in this together, all right?!" he also gave him some confidence.

Gohan looked at Krillin for a moment, his mind still confused. He was really trying his best to make a decision. Then, he suddenly felt a grip on his right hand. He looked back to his father and noticed that he was holding his tiny palm, this tiny hand of his, which had proved to their enemies many times that even a young warrior like him can make a huge difference to this planet.

Goku nodded, believing him with all his heart.

Before long, Gohan was struck with his father's meaningful words and actions. He was enlightened. He began to laugh happily while almost crying tears of joy. He went ahead to softly embrace his father, wrapping his arms around his shoulders while trying not to hurt him. Tensions were high and many doubts may be lingering in every one of them, but one thing he knew for sure, he was the best father he could ever have. "Dad, thanks a lot!"

Goku chuckled softly and gave a small smile.

Krillin placed his hands on his hips and enjoyed this father and son moment between the two…until all of a sudden, the three of them had completely forgotten about someone.

A shadow quickly loomed over them, and the three looked straight up. It was Vegeta and he was standing right before them, his regal appearance itself felt prevailing over them still.

Gohan and Krillin felt dreadfully worried while Goku, by instincts, became defensive of his friends and family. He was still frustrated to know that he cannot move due to all of the bones in his body being fractured. Goku hated to know what could be in the mind of this foe.

"Vegeta-!" Goku growled.

Vegeta slowly grinned. There were shadows casted over his eyes. All of a sudden, in a snap, he landed a shocking knee-strike straight to Goku's abdomen. Goku screamed, forcing to spurt out blood from his throat. Vegeta felt disgusted when he saw the touching father and son moment between Goku and Gohan, he thought he could end it by inflicting them more suffering and pain.

"Hah, hah, hah!" laughed Vegeta.

Raditz and Bardock clearly saw this. "Kakarot!" they both yelled.

"Daddy!" Gohan cried. Rage instantly grew inside his chest; he did not realize that he was shaking all over. This mysterious warrior that was lying dormant inside of him was beginning to emerge.

"Stop that!" Krillin went for the initiative and attempted to attack Vegeta with all his might. He fought him head-on, going for fast-paced punches and kicks. Vegeta let go of Goku and shifted his focus quickly on the monk warrior. To Krillin's frustration, the Saiyan elite was evading his blows without even trying. Just after he went for a sparking punch, Vegeta parried it using his left arm and he countered with a straight fist to his face.

Krillin shouted in pain. He was pushed back and he fell to one knee. "No!" he said under his breath.

The Saiyan Prince shook his head. "Worthless fool. You have no idea what you're up against."

Yajirobe could not do anything at this point. He was too afraid of Vegeta especially with his power now. "This is too much!" his teeth chattered. He then decided to back away and leave, keeping himself some safe distances away from Vegeta. This was all too much for him.

Just before Vegeta continued to inflict more damage his enemies, his senses picked up someone whose aura felt to be strangely different. He quickly turned his head and he saw Gohan standing there, his fists and eyes shaking.

"St-stop it! St-top…hurting…my…DAD!" the young half-Saiyan demanded from him. After seeing his father having to undergo even more suffering, he could not take it any longer. His rage flew out from his chest, and that mysterious, hidden warrior had emerged from its hiding once more and it masked the gentle and innocent Gohan everyone had always come to know of.

Vegeta was alerted to see this, yet he was quite excited, too, to see this unexpected, heightened strength coming from the boy. "Come at me then!" he decided to test this new power of his.

"HYAH!" Gohan gave a roaring, battle yell. In an instant, he delivered rapid punches everywhere. In a way, Gohan's mind was only focused on one goal and that was to stop this fearsome enemy for good. All of his friends especially Piccolo and his father were counting on him. He now understood why his father wanted him to fight against Vegeta.

The Saiyan Prince thought this was too easy, that this young fighter will be no trouble for him; he decided to let his guard down a little. In no later time though, it made him quickly realize that this decision he made was careless. The second Vegeta slowed down a little, Gohan had the opportunity to actually land quite an intensive, raging punch straight to his chest.

Vegeta was surprised to have almost been stopped by this direct attack.

Gohan bit his lip while he quickly leaped and moved backwards. The moment he resurfaced and was a few distances away from the enemy, Gohan opted to give this unforgivable foe a "Masendan." He gathered energy fast for a Masenko, but instead, he converted it into an energy sphere filled with deep power and pure rays of light. Once it was made, Gohan threw it at full force towards Vegeta. Vegeta's eyes widened when he saw this.

_Boom!_

This power-driven, energy blast exploded and it left haze and fog everywhere.

Krillin, Goku, and even Bardock and Raditz were very surprised to see this display of extraordinary skills coming from Gohan. They all thought that it was his own emotions that were giving Gohan this unusual increase of intensifying strength and full confidence to fight the Saiyan Prince himself.

Gohan kept in that position for a while. He was breathing hard, knowing he had drained all the energy in his body caused by his anger that somehow took control of his mind. He almost could not remember what he just did, but unexpectedly, fear overtook him once more. He was receiving a strange vibe in the silent air.

Gohan's eyes grew big this time.

"RARGH!" Vegeta seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He bellowed and shocked Gohan to the core. He broke through the fog that was blocking his view and he swiftly countered, sending him colliding against the ground.

"Augh!" Gohan cried out in pain as his body and the fractured grounds made a heavy impact against each other, there were rocks and particles flying everywhere.

"Gohan!" Krillin grew very worried.

The astonishing tactic that Gohan did was still of no success. Vegeta continued to stand, and this was troubling the Z-warriors.

Both Bardock and Raditz realized there was no time for them to mind about their current conditions. They needed to step in and somehow halt the Saiyan Prince from spreading more of his terror before it was too late.

Raditz especially became angry. He had to risk pushing to his limits by giving himself a power-up. His aura shone and enclosed him. He shouted to his former comrade, "That _is_ enough! Rargh!" he rushed and headed towards him, hoping that he could end this seemingly unending conflict right here.

Vegeta focused on Raditz now, seeing how he can deal with this former comrade of his this time. The moment Raditz was only an inch away from his opponent, a white and blue flash came into sight, and the two fearless warriors were locked into combat. In the night skies while the full moon was still shining, they exchanged blows of rapid punches and kicks as they strove to overcome one another. Alas, Vegeta found the chance to counter without warning.

"You're useless!" Vegeta shouted, sending a knee-strike followed with a ravaging punch to his face.

"Ngh! Darn you!" Raditz endured his harsh blows as he tried to retaliate by sending a skillful set of various attacks. He first went with knife-hand strikes along with sharp turning hook and axe kicks. When he turned around and gave a clean, direct punch to Vegeta's face, with his left hand, he gathered vibrant energy to release a super-powered version of his Saturday Crush.

"Just die already!" Raditz drew his right hand back while his left arm was in front of him. His right hand charged up with white sparks and it was soon enclosed with his violet, blazing aura as he gave his former comrade his massive, power-driven "Saturday Crash." He formed a glowing, igniting sphere enveloped in rotating shafts of light. He then brought his hands forward and released his vigorous energy sphere in swiftness and at full force.

Vegeta needed to increase his defense to lessen the damage of his Saturday Crash. He almost could sense it was actually filled with great power. Once it touched him, it violently burst and it left behind fog and haze everywhere.

Raditz breathed heavily. His fatigue was escalating more than what he could possibly handle, but he kept breathing and kept his eyes watchful to his surroundings. To his surprise though, after the fog had faded, Vegeta somehow disappeared.

"What the?" Raditz looked from left to right, trying to locate him. Suddenly, he heard a voice from above. "Over here!" it shouted.

Raditz quickly looked up and noticed that Vegeta had his hands clasped together, ready to give him a hard-knuckled strike straight to his head. He proceeded to attack him; however, Raditz was able to block his move, but the force of it was too strong that he was pushed back and he was heading straight towards the ruined battleground. Raditz though landed successfully on his two feet without losing his balance, but he found Vegeta dashing through the winds, approaching him faster than he could anticipate.

Bardock saw this and he became very worried. "Raditz!" he, too, then pushed himself to his limits and tried to take on Vegeta.

Raditz made every effort to concentrate well, and he was prepared to battle this Saiyan elite until Krillin intervened and decided to distract Vegeta. He swiftly went for a flying sidekick, but Vegeta saw him at the corner of his eye and evaded his upcoming attack. Krillin went to the other side; however, he did not give up as he dashed towards him once more and presented him rapid punches this time.

Vegeta went on to evade them all without the slightest effort until he realized that there was another person in the battlefield who intended to confront him. Just after Krillin gave his last punch, he did a back-flip and Bardock came into view at that moment. He was dashing below him as if the monk warrior knew that he will also face up to Vegeta.

Despite of his wounds and too much fatigue, he needed to raise his power and defense. He still had some fight left in him and he will spend every last bit of it defeating the menace that had spread everywhere on Earth and help restore peace.

"Get ready, Prince!" Bardock told him with his flaring aura surrounding him once more. He was about to get serious.

Vegeta only grinned and he engaged him in a serious fight then. He and Bardock had fought in countless rounds since the beginning of this war, but he was determined to make this round his last.

This time, the two Saiyan warriors clashed at each other and exchanged very intensive and rigorous blows simultaneously. Their auras had created shockwaves and force fields throughout the battlefield, which gradually tore down the area even more.

Raditz and Krillin briefly watched them. Soon, Raditz told Krillin, "Come on, let's go help him!"

"Right," Krillin nodded.

The two of them then rushed towards to scene. Just when Raditz and Krillin teamed up with Bardock, Vegeta found himself facing three opponents all at once. Shockingly though, he proved only short work of them, deftly avoiding all their fast and superb moves. At the end, the three fighters went for their own attacks only to be all impeded by their invincible foe. Vegeta grinned as he thrust out a force field from his body, forcing the three to be carried off with the gust of winds. He then raised his strength as he gave each of them a direct attack to their chests and stomachs, making them halt from their tracks.

Vegeta especially gave Bardock a devastating blow to his face using his right arm in which his hand left trails of his blazing aura behind. Bardock cried in pain as he was sent towards the ground, falling to where Gohan was who was still recovering from his injuries on the ruined grounds.

"Bardock!" Krillin exclaimed.

"Father!" Raditz shouted, realizing how he was very hurt. He quickly turned to Vegeta, his face filled with hatred for him. "You will pay!" he advanced towards him and battled against him. He did not care anymore if he was a royal elite who had surpassed his own power tenfold. He just wanted him to be brought down to defeat once and for all.

Vegeta had slowly come to realize this sudden increase of his strength and momentum simply because of his peaking anger inside his chest. He became more wary of the possibility that Raditz might suddenly gain the upper-hand if he let up for even a second. Vegeta thought he needed to end this confrontation quickly. As for Krillin, he turned to Raditz and went on to help him. Teamwork was very essential at this time to somehow keep the bridge of victory intact. Krillin had not lost faith yet, knowing that one way or another, victory will be granted upon them soon. He just wondered when they will finally see it.

"We need to keep on trying then," Krillin clenched his fists together as he raised his strength as much as he can. He flew beside Raditz and helped him overcome their unrelenting foe.

Bardock struggled to get back on his feet again. As he was able to sit up at least, he was greeted by another vision. It almost made him worried from the inside since it had been quite some time he last received a vision and because also he had failed in preventing any of these horrible apparitions from happening. They only reminded him of his fallen allies whose lives were taken away by the hands of this evil Saiyan.

In this vision, he clearly saw Gohan who had somehow recovered from his injuries, but he appeared to be in a terribly fearful state. Something was coming right at him, but it was not an enemy though. He was lost in his own thoughts, thinking nothing but the fear intending to tear him apart. Someone was shouting at him and it was his father, Goku, who seemed to be encouraging his son, but he, too, was afraid that his son may not be able to overcome the fear holding him back.

Bardock held his forehead since that vision gave him a small headache. "Stop it," he said under his breath.

"Ngh!" Gohan was lying beside his grandfather, holding his weak right arm. There were new wounds on his face and body everywhere as the result of the prince's overpowering might inhibiting Gohan.

Bardock stared at his grandson while remembering that vision. He kept it at the back of his mind, making a promise to himself to make its ending not become in vain or tragedy; not at this time.

Bardock softly touched Gohan's shoulder and asked him, "Are you all right?"

Gohan shook his head. "I can't move. It hurts so much," he bit his lips hard. It almost looked like to Bardock that he was trying to fight back his tears of agony in his eyes.

Bardock felt terrible seeing his family and friends slowly suffering and for a long time. He just could not take this anymore. His mind was becoming desperate. What other choice was there left to achieve their desired victory? What else they could do at this point?

He turned his head to see Goku who was lying helplessly on the ground still. He continued to hold his stomach tight while blood streamed down from his lips. He was trying to endure that merciless attack from Vegeta earlier ago, and it was taking a long time for the pain to cease.

Bardock quickly stood up and took Gohan into his arms. He levitated from the grounds as he immediately went to Goku. When he arrived, he gently placed Gohan back to the floor, but with his father this time.

"You guys take your time to recover," Bardock told to the both of them. "There should be a way to beat Vegeta somehow."

He was about to leave to go ahead and help Raditz and Krillin until Goku spoke. "W-wait, Dad!"

"Kakarot?" he turned around again. He knelt on one knee and held his son's arm. He sighed heavily. "That Vegeta has given you too much of a beating. I won't forgive him for this!" he held an angered fist.

Goku coughed more while he slowly released his aching hands from his bruised stomach. "Dad, you have to listen to me. There's only one way to defeat Vegeta for good."

Bardock became curious. "What?" he asked.

Just trying to utter a few words were already difficult for him, Goku needed a little time to get his voice back. He carefully turned his head to look at his only son who was enduring the same amount of terrible pain as he was going through now. He had an idea and hoping that his severe injuries will not impede his ability from doing this, he slowly lifted his right arm. He struggled to move even a tiny muscle, but this was the time that Vegeta's evil deeds needed to be brought to an end. They must to do everything that they can to restore peace and harmony back to Earth.

As he slowly raised his right hand, his palm began to glimmer in pure, subtle gleam with lustrous white rays. He took a little of that faint energy to Gohan by placing gently placing his hand on his forehead. Few seconds later, he released his head and Gohan had actually become slightly better from his injuries.

Goku smiled a little. Bardock noticed this once ore, seeing how his youngest son was still smiling even in moments like these when their lives were clearly at stake.

"Take a bit more rest, Gohan. You've done a good job," Goku told him, praising his son's courage earlier ago. "I've given you a little bit of the Spirit Bomb's energy. Heh, heh," he chuckled. "I was right in thinking it has some healing properties. Unfortunately, I can't use up everything just to heal myself. It'll be a waste."

"Huh?" Bardock raised an eyebrow.

Gohan opened an eye while he continued to hold onto his right arm. He smiled a little. "Thank you, Daddy. I feel a little better, I guess…"

Goku then looked at his father again. His spoke in a weak voice still, but he revealed to him his plan this time. "Dad, I'm gonna need everyone's help especially yours. This'll be the only way to stop Vegeta. I have to give you the Spirit Bomb instead."

Bardock's eyes widened a little. "…Spirit…Bomb?"


	39. One Chance

Episode 39

One Chance

Raditz and Krillin were standing up to Vegeta to the best they can, their combined teamwork trying to make him stumble finally. The two were becoming more worn out by the second. Vegeta was perspiring as well, but his fatigue was still nowhere close in fully impeding him.

Both Raditz and Krillin gave a battle yell as they sent sharp roundhouse kicks straight to their foe, leaving visible sparks and quick winds behind, but Vegeta disappeared in the blink of an eye. They quickly tried to pinpoint his location, but it was already too late as Vegeta reappeared and immediately attacked Krillin and Raditz next, re-injuring their old wounds and bruises, making sure that his opponents this time will not get up.

Krillin stopped himself from getting blown away any further. He continued to float in air while he shook his head to rid of this sharp pain. "Darn, he's way too powerful. Does he even have a weakness?"

Raditz had to resurface on the ground to somehow retrieve his concentration back. The moment he placed his two feet there, he almost lost balance. Knowing that his tail had already been cut off, it added more to his breaking of stability. He was slightly frustrated to know that the true mark of a Saiyan, the tail, was long gone.

"Can't think about that now," Raditz told himself though. "There are far more important matters at hand."

Vegeta crossed his arms, his back against the dimmed, mysterious rays of the full moon behind him. He briefly gazed at the night skies and the stars. Their beauty was gradually being tainted more and more by his menace, and Vegeta could feel he was one step closer in achieving his desires finally.

"Come on now," Vegeta told his enemies. "I'm not through giving the pain that you all deserve especially to you, Raditz, and your worthless family. Remember, you, your father and brother have forgotten what it means to be a true Saiyan, and I'll be the one who'll be the bringer of your punishment."

Raditz remembered that he used to have those beliefs like his, but he had already changed his ways. He became angry; he stepped up and yelled, "I don't care what you say about us, Vegeta. I told you. I changed for the better. You're the one who can't see what awaits you at the end!"

The Saiyan Prince just chuckled softly. "Prove to me that you're right then…that is, if you're still alive."

Raditz clenched his fists. He needed to amplify his strength a little, his aura reacting to this increase. His aura grew and it danced around him wildly. Raditz knew he was pushing himself beyond his limits, and this could greatly endanger him. His strength of mind though was resolute, it was giving him enough reason that he should continue to move forward no matter what.

Krillin stared at Vegeta and then to Raditz. They were once former comrades who now saw each other as greatest enemies. If both of them were to go at full power, imagine what an intensive battle that could be.

"Don't go giving up just yet, Raditz," Krillin said, knowing that his help was essential at this crucial moment of their lives. He glanced at Goku for a moment and noticed he was with Gohan and Bardock. "Goku, Bardock, I really hope you have some sort of plan. We're bit in a bind here," he hoped that his friends were thinking of other ways to somehow end all of this madness.

Vegeta was prepared to resume their battle. He bent his arms to his waist and he charged up, his spirits soaring way beyond the skies. His wounds were becoming only but insignificant bothers to him, and this came as a terrible sign for the Z-fighters. Vegeta was already recovering quite fast while the rest of them were being significantly hindered back by their painful injuries.

Raditz gave a nod to Krillin and Krillin nodded back. They will just have to hold him off for as long as they can until one of them can think of an effective strategy that can surmount to Vegeta's strength and exploit his weaknesses.

With both of Raditz's and Krillin's auras enclosing them and blazing endlessly in the night skies, they hastily flew towards Vegeta, resuming this confrontation.

Meanwhile, Bardock was staring at Goku's right hand as it was still being surrounded by pure, tiny sparkles and mist-like energy.

"Kakarot, I'm not sure what you're trying to get at," Bardock was a little confused.

Goku tried to clear his thinking. "Don't worry. It's a skill I learned from the afterlife. It may look feeble to some eyes, if that's what you're thinking, but it has a lot of power. The Spirit Bomb is where I gather all energy of the living things, whatever they can provide me. Then I convert it into a form of attack."

Bardock could see that it was definitely filled with such vast and great power despite of its appearance, he had never seen anything like it; to see that this power came from different sources, not from one's own strength.

"Here, grab my hand," Goku said with the energy floating such delicately around his hand, its immense power could no longer stay dormant. It needed to be released.

Bardock was hesitant to do so, yet he was the only one in this battlefield now that can end this conflict once and for all. He slowly reached to grab his son's palm. He found himself shaking a little.

As they held each other's right hands, Goku needed to tell his father that he had to stay calm, both mind and body, and let its power transmit to him. He will be carrying a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. The Spirit Bomb was very delicate, and if Bardock could not put his mind to ease and meditation, its attack may not be effective as much.

"Don't get too tensed," Goku said, seeing how his father was clinching his body too tightly. "Just stay calm. Forget what's going on around you."

Gohan was finally able to sit up at least thanks to the Spirit Bomb's healing gifts. As he sat up while holding his aching head, he saw the light of the Spirit Bomb becoming stronger and more vivid around Goku's and Bardock's right hand. He stared at awe. "Wow…"

After for some time, Bardock had finally found his serenity. He almost felt like he was in a trance, in a dream-like state as his mind drifted elsewhere. He had never felt this calm before and the feeling of it was rejuvenating.

Soon, as how Goku felt when he completed the Spirit Bomb, when his instincts clicked on him, Bardock also felt the same way. The Spirit Bomb was finally transferred to him. He noticed his right hand, covered by his battle-damaged wrist armor, enclosed with these flickering, transparent lights and rays.

Goku smiled. "Good, that's the first step."

Bardock raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell me there're other steps to this procedure!"

Goku laughed softly. "Heh, heh, sorry. Now, this time, you have to convert it into a form of visible energy."

Bardock concentrated again, keeping his mind at ease. He closed his eyes and tried to visualize in his mind to somehow help him change these mists of energy into a fierce, vigorous attack. Goku had said that this was the only plan that could end Vegeta's terror once and for all. They must not let this opportunity slip from their hands.

The moment Bardock felt his soul entering into another deep meditation and going to that trance-like state again, the rays surrounding his hand became even more vivid every second. When Bardock opened his eyes while his mind was at its utmost tranquility, his hand brightened and lights flashed. Immediately, Bardock created a perfect sphere of white and blue energy. It floated at the top of his palm with its power ready to be released. Since its rays were shining almost like the sun, it actually illuminated and shunned some of the darkness in this place.

Gohan laughed happily. "That's so amazing!"

Bardock was quiet for a moment. He observed every fine detail of this ultimate technique. "I've never seen anything like it…"

Goku felt proud of him. "Great, Bardock! You just made the Spirit Bomb."

Bardock found himself smiling a little, but then, his grin instantly faded. He revealed a serious expression as his eyes shifted from the Spirit Bomb to Vegeta. He noticed that Raditz and Krillin were still battling him, doing their best to hinder him from destroying this planet. Vegeta made every effort to send them to their dooms, but to the prince's aggravation, they were still standing. He despised their perseverance.

"I need to end this," Bardock was about to leave and confront the Saiyan Prince until Goku stopped him for a moment.

"Hold on," Goku said that unfortunately, the downside to this attack was that they only had one shot to do this. "If you miss, then that's it. You need to find the right time. You only have one chance on this…"

Bardock gave a more serious look. In his mind, he was holding the fate of the Earth now and if he was not successful in ending this most decisive battle of their lives here, then…there may be no more hope. This was very negative thinking, he was well aware of that, but sometimes, they needed to see both sides of the situation.

However, that did not mean he will resign himself to defeat and utter collapse. As long there was a tiny shed of hope standing by each and every one of them, as long as their minds and hearts believed in the impossible, they can triumph.

Bardock turned to Gohan and Goku. All the pressure was on him now, but he promised to them both, "Don't worry. If I only have one chance to do this, then I'll do this right. We _will_ win this fight."

Goku placed his faith on him now. His father was about to leave until Gohan suddenly called his grandfather.

"Gohan?" Goku said.

Bardock turned around while he carefully made sure the Spirit Bomb was still on his hand. "Gohan, what's wrong?"

Gohan was able to stand up this time. He strained a bit to move his legs. "Grandpa, wait, let me help you."

Bardock instantly shook his head, knowing his grandson was currently in a terrible state. "Gohan, you need to stay back. You're too injured."

"But, Grandpa," Gohan tried to argue, "I need to help. I know I can do this," after he said these words, he stood in a straight posture and he showed a valiant face. He was tired of fear restraining all the time. He may be young, but he wanted to show somehow that he was capable of fighting alongside still with his family and friends.

"My daddy told me that I need to avenge my friends and my teacher, Mr. Piccolo," Gohan told his grandfather. "I don't like to fight, but I need to do what I'm supposed to do. I wanna help, please!"

For a kid at his young age, he was indeed thinking and talking maturely. Bardock cannot blame him though for letting fear sometimes hold him back. In fact, even the bravest warriors in this galaxy experience fear once in a while. It is what makes them human, and fear is naturally there to test the true, mighty warrior that lies in every person's heart.

Bardock tried to make a decision until Goku decided, "Go let Gohan help you, Dad. After all, we need all the help we can get. Besides, I believe in you both. I know you can do this!"

Bardock glanced at his grandson one more time. They all shared one common aspect and that was they had a lot faith for each other. He grinned. "All right."

Gohan nodded with a smile on his face.

Bardock looked at Goku one more time. "Hang tight, Kakarot. We'll be back."

He and Gohan then headed towards Vegeta. They were determined to finally end this battle.

Vegeta had struck both Raditz and Krillin down with a ferocious attack straight to their faces. They were blown away and as they were being carried off with the winds, Vegeta turned around and placed his hand in front of them. The center of his palm began to form blinking lights, which was accompanied by his menacing strength.

Raditz opened an eye and thought he needed to react fast before Vegeta can. He took further flight as he took wing into the night skies with surprising haste, leaving jets of air and streaks of his aura behind.

"Huh?" Vegeta was distracted. He followed to the direction his enemy was going. He noticed that Raditz was too far away from him to see his former comrade; however, he realized there was something shining unsteadily. "What the?"

The Saiyan Prince also realized that he was finding that same phenomenon, but instead, it was coming from the ground. He took a quick glance below him and he noticed that Krillin suddenly had his hands together and he was collecting his energy into a single point, emitting bright rays throughout the battle arena.

Raditz and Krillin had already received new wounds and bruises all over their bodies after enduring Vegeta's such mighty blows. Such injuries and draining fatigue may get the best out of them, yet the two will persevere for as long as they can. They will stand firm until the very end.

Krillin continued to power up while the vivid energy inside his two hands was becoming stronger. High up in the starry, evening skies, there was Raditz with his left arm lifted up high. Blinking lights were also forming from the inside of his left hand and like Krillin's, they were becoming intense.

Soon, both of their Super Attacks were complete and without any delay, they discharged them from their hands.

"Eat this! Kamehame-HA!" Krillin quickly brought his hands forward and shot out the immense, blue and white energy wave. It spun around twice and it traveled with great speed, its target locked onto Vegeta.

Vegeta was prepared to resist this technique by raising his defense. He then noticed that Raditz was readying a technique of his own as well.

Raditz charged as much energy as he could into his left hand until he was certain that it was powerful enough to inflict heavy damage to Vegeta. "Double Sunday!" drawing his left hand in front of him with great force, he released a single, colossal energy wave. It howled in the winds and it locked its target onto Vegeta as well.

The Kamehameha and Double Sunday were rushing towards him, Vegeta had little time to react actually; however, he smirked with malevolence, which only meant even their combined teamwork did not worry him at all.

Raditz could almost sense this strange, tensed vibe in the air. He shook his head. "What?!"

Just before both of their attacks made every effort to take down Vegeta, he actually fought these himself. He used his hands to prevent them from inflicting damage. He placed his hands on both of the energy techniques and with a slight bit of effort, Vegeta deflected both of these energy beams back to the users.

"No!" both Krillin and Raditz cried out. It was them this time who needed to stop their own attacks. They had to struggle a little to deflect or cancel them.

Bardock and Gohan finally arrived to scene. They were relieved to know that Raditz and Krillin were still all right, but they both knew they were battling to the fullest, using all their strength just to defeat this one sinister Saiyan. This fight was quickly making them exhausted and weakened.

The two of them landed on the top surface of a lower-leveled canyon.

Gohan shook his head. "Krillin and Uncle Raditz are having a tough time there."

"Yeah," Bardock could see it; his slowly gazed again at the brilliant energy of the Spirit Bomb on top of his right palm. Deep within him, he was frightened and he trembled all over although he tried to conceal this. At the back of his mind, he kept repeating to himself that he only had one chance to do this; just one chance.

After Krillin and Raditz were able to deflect their own attacks, the two then stood together side-by-side. Vegeta then came closer to them. His arms were crossed and he had an evil grin plastered on his prideful face.

Raditz's hands turned into fists. His anger was building up more inside of him; not because this prince was seemingly unconquerable, but because of the notion that if he cannot stop him, the whole world will be destroyed by his hands.

"I won't let you do what you want, Vegeta! You will not destroy this planet!" Raditz declared.

Vegeta just grunted in response, not at all affected by his words. He slowly readied to his fighting stance, his blue aura blazing now more than ever.

Krillin and Raditz had to give themselves a boost of strength and speed to somehow keep Vegeta at bay. The two headed towards their formidable foe and they engaged in another battle with him.

_"Hold on a little bit longer, Krillin, Raditz,"_ Bardock said in his mind.

Gohan suddenly intruded his deep thoughts. "Grandpa Bardock, I'm gonna try my best to help Krillin and Uncle. Please don't let the Spirit Bomb miss!"

He had already lifted himself a few inches in air, ready to join Krillin and Raditz. Bardock almost hesitated for him not to go, knowing that he was already far too exhausted and injured to even stand up to Vegeta; however, Gohan had already awoken the courage inside of him and he will do anything now to save his home planet, his family and friends.

"Gohan-!" Bardock said, but he had already gone.

Bardock recovered and he stared again at the blue and white orb floating quietly on his hand. He was trying to re-train his brain to feel again the serenity when he made the Spirit Bomb to appear; however, he could not help but feel this heavy tension instead weighing upon his shoulders.

Suddenly, he received that vision again of Gohan and Goku. He shook his head a little. Whatever the outcome that vision will bring him, one thing he knew for sure, he cannot let anything happen that will make them suffer defeat.

Bardock needed to find a way somehow.

On the other hand, Raditz and Krillin did not cease to battle even though their wounds were becoming more severe. They attempted to hit Vegeta as much as they can to somehow wear him out and increase their chances for winning. Vegeta, however, still did not show any signs of him getting weaker.

"What fools!" Vegeta told them, parrying their incoming moves like nothing. "There's no way you can defeat me!"

Suddenly though, a voice yelled from behind. "Get away from them!"

"Huh?" Vegeta lost focus, which was taken advantage of.

"Now!" Krillin realized this and he gave the signal.

At the same time, he and Raditz went for a surprising punch straight to his chest. The force had vibrated throughout his body, almost inflicting some actual pain to him. Vegeta's anger began to boil once more, that even these warriors who clearly had strength that could not equal his were approaching closer to their victory again…or perhaps, the strength of these warriors had already reached newer heights in which the Saiyan Prince may be well surprised about.

Vegeta tried to retaliate in a speed that none of them could anticipate until he saw at the corner of his eyes these brilliant rays of light. He knew it was not the full moon in the night skies. He quickly turned around and realized that Gohan was already preparing for a technique of his own.

His power was increasing, which was accompanied again by his emotions, those emotions that always told him to protect the Earth no matter what. He rushed towards him and without any fear in his mind, he barraged Vegeta with various punches and kicks. Vegeta did not give any grunts of pain still; however, he was beginning to sense he was being hindered back once more.

"Gohan," Raditz was awed by his display of power.

"All right, Gohan!" cheered Krillin.

At the end, after Gohan gave a soaring uppercut to his chin, jerking his head back, he darted backwards, his hands already illuminating where he was at with spectacular lights. He brought his hands forward and yelled, "Masenko-HA!"

Vegeta's eyes widened, almost surprised by the might of this skill he possessed. The Saiyan Prince had to raise the stakes higher, to actually raise some of his own power just to match with Gohan's dynamic Masenko. With a battle cry, he placed his hand in front of the golden beam and immediately canceled it. It disintegrated, leaving haze everywhere.

Krillin and Raditz were still surprised to see Gohan becoming stronger every time he fought. Even though he was very young, they may need his help now. They needed all the help they can get in order to defeat Vegeta.

Krillin, Raditz, and Gohan coughed and had to cover their eyes a little, but they also tried to keep watch of him. Surprisingly, he did not plan any ambush attack on them. He continued to float there while being surrounded by the fog as it gradually disappeared. Soon, he glared at all three of them, waiting to see who will dare to attack him first. It was clear to Krillin, Raditz, and Gohan that their adversary's anger was swelling more after just staring into that dark expression of his. If his fury was allowed to add onto his towering strength, there was no telling what could happen to all of them.

Raditz knew they cannot wait and do nothing. They needed to keep Vegeta from taking one step closer in destroying this world.

Raditz kept the battle going as he gave a shout, which echoed in the skies. Krillin came in next and he charged up to increase his power level and Gohan tagged along as well. The three rushed towards Vegeta as they were strong-minded to end his reign of terror right here and now. They immediately fought another battle with him, but they began to realize something strange. It appeared to be Vegeta was keeping up with their moves as he became more vigilant. He was becoming more serious than ever before and this could only spell huge trouble for all of them.

Meanwhile, Bardock kept his right hand raised to the side just above his shoulder. The Spirit Bomb still floated on top of his palm, ready anytime to be released and reveal its ultimate power.

Bardock watched his son, grandson, and his friend fighting the Saiyan Prince with everything that they got. Everyone was holding onto to their lives while the faith of the Earth was resting on his hands. He only had one shot, he kept repeating to himself in his head. He thought he could do this, but for once in his life, he began to doubt his own capabilities.

Bardock could not calm himself. His heart was beating fast. It was straining him, he almost had a headache. _"No, darn it…Vegeta's too quick! I couldn't possibly do this!"_ he closed his eyes in frustration.

Suddenly, a voice was heard in his head. "_Just using your eyes to throw the Spirit Bomb won't do you much good. You have to read between the lines."_

Bardock opened his eyes wide and he became even more nervous. He frantically looked around, trying to find the source of this voice. "H-huh? Who's there? Please don't tell me I'm going insane now from my gift of foresight."

_"Feel it out. Trust in your senses. You'll know when the moment's right," _the voice continued to say.

Bardock wondered if it was his own conscious speaking to him, somehow giving him that confidence he needed in order to do this right. "Come on, who's talking to me?!" he tightened his left hand.

_"Calm yourself. I'm the one who trained Goku in the afterlife and the one who taught him the Spirit Bomb, too."_

When he heard this, he felt instant relief. "Wait, you're Kakarot's teacher? I'm sorry, but I couldn't really remember your name."

At King Kai's planet, it can be seen that King Kai, along with Bubbles and Gregory, was standing on the edge of his tiny world. He had his hands behind his back and he was talking to him telepathically. "That's okay. My name's King Kai. I know that you're the one who's in control of the Spirit Bomb. Goku had already told you that you have one chance to do this. It's a daunting task, so that's why I'm here to help you out."

Bardock inhaled deeply and released a heavy sigh. He was still trembling; he could not shake off this terrible feeling in his stomach.

"HYAH!" Vegeta strongly hit Raditz on his torso right after taking down Krillin and Gohan.

Raditz was falling towards the ground, but he immediately stood upright, creating a brief jet of air towards the ground. There was blood on his lips and he wiped it slowly. "Does this…never seem to end?" he was deeply frustrated.

Gohan and Krillin took some time to recover once more from these new wounds Vegeta had given them. The two held their aching arms, their tired eyes staring at their formidable foe while their minds were desperately finding a way to somehow defeat this unstoppable prince.

Bardock's eyes narrowed a little after he noticed Vegeta was not moving at this time. He thought if he should attack now. "Is it time? Should I-?" immediately, he had doubts. "No, I don't think it is."

King Kai was still watching Vegeta from above and guiding Bardock at the same time. He spoke to him again, helping him stay calm. "Be patient, my friend. You'll soon find the time. Trust your instincts."

Vegeta watched his opponents for a moment. Indeed, they were very persistent, yet since he was quickly weakening them enough, he was now the one who was prevailing over them once again.

At one hidden corner, Yajirobe had actually returned to see what was going on with the Z-warriors and Vegeta. He realized that it was a little too late to escape anyway; he might as well see how the fight was. By the looks of it, his companions were still holding on by the thread.

Yajirobe then noticed the Spirit Bomb floating on top of Bardock's palm. Observing its majestic, yet valiant appearance, he guessed it was an attack that can greatly change the outcome of this conflict. He was speaking in his head and indirectly to Bardock. _"Man, Bardock, that energy ball you have now looks pretty strong to take down Vegeta, but what are you waiting for, man? You got 'im right where you want. You can just distract him and say 'Hey, I'm here!' and then throw it straight at his face."_

Little did he know that this task was far more complicated and riskier than he thought.

Raditz took a moment to glance at Krillin and Gohan who seemed to be more hurt than he was. He was even more aggravated to know that he cannot hinder Vegeta at all even at his full strength and that his family and friends were unfairly suffering by his hands. He needed to find some way.

Suddenly, he noticed his father and the Spirit Bomb floating on the top of his palm. He became curious what this was.

"Now!" Vegeta abruptly yelled. He moved his hands back as his palms started to light up in emerging circles and rings. Soon, he immediately barraged them with his "Super Energy Wave Volley", which consisted of numerous, rapid energy waves that pursued after them. They all went to different directions, occupying every possible space and corner, forbidding their opponents to escape.

"Heads-up!" Raditz warned both Gohan and Krillin, telling them to keep on their toes.

Raditz evaded some of the rapid blasts filled with scorching heat that can certainly burn one's skin while he deflected others, letting them hit in the background instead. Gohan and Krillin did their best to avoid these as well; however, their exhaustion and injuries were delaying their reaction time instantly.

"Rargh!" Raditz placed both of his hands in front and strongly canceled five energy blasts pursuing after him.

"Hyah!" Krillin made his own energy blasts and used those to cancel Vegeta's.

Gohan was perspiring a lot and he could feel that every muscle in his body was straining to even move at such swiftness. Right after he back-flipped in air to escape some of these, he did not anticipate another one coming straight at him. It made a direct hit to his chest, leaving a burning sensation and mark on his entire body. Gohan was stopped in his tracks. He screamed in pain, falling immediately to the ruined grounds.

"Gohan!" both Krillin and Raditz shouted. They were shocked to see him down.

Bardock growled in complete aggravation, seeing how his family and friends were falling one by one. The tension in the atmosphere and his peaking anger almost prompted him to launch the Spirit Bomb now and take down Vegeta as quickly as possible, but King Kai stopped him.

"Not yet, Bardock!" King Kai interrupted him.

"But-!" Bardock almost refused.

"No," King Kai told him. "Don't let your emotions dictate your actions. You need to trust in your senses. Find the perfect opportunity by using your head."

Bardock tried to concentrate again, yet he also believed that time was running out for all of them.

Goku heard his son's cries and he was complete horror. He felt terribly worthless for not being there for his son and keep him out of harm's way. "Gohan, n-no!" his words faltered.

Krillin gritted his teeth together. "Gohan!" he tried to call him.

Gohan was lying with his front body facing the ground and he was quivering a little from this scorching pain. Krillin noticed him move though. He was relieved that he was still all right, but it appeared to be he could barely move now.

Raditz, however, could not believe what Vegeta had done to his own nephew. He was about to erupt in any second until suddenly, his expression became surprised when he saw something peculiar behind Gohan's back. He tried to get a clearer view by narrowing eyes only to find out that there was…a tail behind Gohan. His tail had suddenly grown back! Raditz never knew this was possible since he had never seen a Saiyan in his life who had his or her tail removed and saw it grow back. He predicted that when Saiyans are usually under severe injuries and stress, their tails may grow back.

Raditz first thought that this was yet another bad sign for all of them, but as he pondered more about it, he realized that Gohan's tail could be of use for them instead.

Vegeta was actually prepared to land the final blow that will eradicate this battlefield along with the Z-fighters, its inhabitants, and the rest of this planet. He was about to accomplish the mission he intended to accomplish a long time ago until he heard Raditz suddenly say.

"Gohan, listen to me!" he shouted. "Look at the moon now!"

The Saiyan Prince was instantly flabbergasted by his words. "Huh? Look at the moon? Why's he saying such ridiculous things?"

Krillin turned to Raditz. "Raditz, what are you talking about?"

Goku opened an eye and he also wondered why his older brother was saying this. Even Bardock had become curious.

Raditz continued to speak to Gohan. "Gohan, can you hear me? Just look at the moon! You're the only one who can beat Vegeta now!"

Gohan almost lost consciousness, but he somehow heard his uncle. He wondered why he had to look at the moon until he suddenly had this strange feeling of suddenly being drawn to the mysterious, dimmed rays of Lunar. It appeared to be that his tail was giving him this peculiar sensation.

Almost by instincts, Gohan slowly lifted his head. When his tired eyes saw the full moon, immediately, his heart started racing.

Vegeta was becoming frustrated by what was going on. "What are you talking about, Raditz? There's no way a frail, mere boy can stop me now," he looked at Goku's son, but then his eyes grew wide when he noticed Gohan's tail that was now reacting to the full moon's rays. "Wha-what? Wait, how did that happen? I thought he didn't have a tail in the first place. Why does he have one now?"

Gohan was having irregular breaths while his eyes were glowing red. His arms and legs were twitching not from the pain in his body, but from this different kind of state, a much more…dangerous state he was about to enter.

Vegeta now figured out why Raditz was telling Gohan these things as soon as he looked at the boy and his tail moving back and forth. A sudden worry took over the Saiyan Prince, knowing that if he did not stop Gohan soon from his incoming transformation, he may be the one, this time, who was going to fall into his own doom.

Vegeta almost took great speed to head to Gohan and quickly kill him before he had the opportunity to transform. To his shock, a shadow appeared into view and it came in front of him all of a sudden. It was Yajirobe!

Vegeta's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Stay outta the way, Saiyan!" Yajirobe used his sword and quickly slashed him. The blade almost tore off his armor and it actually cut Vegeta's flesh.

Vegeta groaned in pain and fell to his knees in surprise. "Gah! W-why you!" he tried to fight the pain as he stared into Yajirobe's eyes intensely. Noticing the blade he carried, he assumed he was also the one who cut off his own tail.

Yajirobe became nervous and frightened. "H-hey, no-no hard feelings, eh?" he tried to reason with him.

But trying to reason with the Saiyan Prince was nowhere close to even stop him from his diabolical deeds. "I will kill YOU!" he screamed.

"Waah!" Yajirobe tried to run away.

Vegeta was about to exterminate him until all of a sudden, he heard a cry from Gohan. He turned around while Yajirobe was able to escape from him just in time. Vegeta realized that Gohan had commenced his transformation. His clothes were ripped as his size grew. He began to grow body fur, his eyes glowed red, his face changed shape, and his teeth grew fangs. Soon, he transformed into a Great Ape and he bellowed, which echoed in the skies for miles.

Goku opened an eye and witnessed his son transforming into this beast. "Gohan!" he was worried though that he may not handle this transformation; thus, he may become uncontrollable.

Indeed, he was right. Gohan angrily beat his arms into the air and he destroyed everything that was in his way. He shook the grounds, he destroyed the mountains, and gave piercing cries, which disturbed every living creature and assailed everyone's ears.

"AAH!" Yajirobe was dreadfully frightened. He tried to run away again.

"Oh man," Krillin flew back to keep some distances from Gohan. "Raditz, what the heck did you do?! You know he can't control himself!"

"I know what I'm doing," Raditz believed the decision he made was right. "I know Gohan can help us beat Vegeta. He just needs to be directed somehow."

Vegeta tightened his fists and he backed away a little. "Tsk! I can't believe I have to deal with a Great Ape myself. There's only one way to do this," he quickly looked up at the moon.

His instincts clicked on him though and the moment he shifted his focus back to Gohan, Gohan already had a boulder on top of his hands. He fiercely howled and threw the gigantic rock straight to Vegeta.

Vegeta evaded it as quick as he could, but when he was now up in the air, Gohan then suddenly released a gigantic energy beam from his throat.

"No way!" Vegeta had little time to react due to his fatigue finally holding him back. He crossed his arms in great defense to endure the blast. It actually ripped his armor a little and he felt his energy diminishing. Vegeta slowly looked up, his expression getting more menacing.

Krillin cheered. "All right, Gohan!"

Gohan suddenly heard Krillin, and when he turned around, he did not give him a pleasant look. He growled at him, showing off his fangs.

"Eh?!" Krillin covered his mouth, knowing that Gohan cannot recognize any of his family and friends in his current state.

Gohan now roared at Krillin and Raditz and decided to attack them next.

Raditz gave a grunt of frustration. He soared higher into the night skies. "Come on!"

Krillin flew with him while scratching his head nervously. "Eh, heh, sorry 'bout that."

The two tried to come up with a plan to guide Great Ape Gohan and direct his attention back towards Vegeta.

Raditz tried speaking to his nephew. "Gohan, listen to me! You have to go after Vegeta! He's the real enemy!"

He paid no heed to his words, unfortunately, and he continued to pursue after him and Krillin. He released more energy blasts from his mouth, trying to inflict damage to the two. Although they can dodge them quite easily, they were only wasting their time and this time-wasting might allow Vegeta to escape his defeat once more.

Bardock had to move from one plateau to another in order to avoid the trembles and heavy rocks shooting to the air. He kept the Spirit Bomb close to him, but the more he waited, the more he was getting impatient. Vegeta was still moving around from one place to another, and Bardock knew he cannot use his eyes to track down the Saiyan Prince rather he needed to use his senses.

Unfortunately, he just cannot seem to concentrate at all.

King Kai noticed this and he tried to keep him calm. "Don't rush, Bardock. You need to use your mind."

"But how?" Bardock asked himself.

He suddenly received that same vision again of Gohan and Goku, but trusting in his instincts, he believed this will not happen. He cannot rely too much on his gift of foresight at this time. He needed to rely on his own power now to change some things around.

Goku watched as Gohan went on his rampage. His bones may have been all fractured, but he knew he had to help out one way or another. He suddenly talked telepathically in his brother's mind. "_Raditz, can you hear me?"_

Raditz clearly heard him, but became a little confused. _"What? Kakarot…is that you?" _he answered back in his head. It was a strange feeling to be able to speak to him like this. _"H-how can you talk in my mind?"_

_"I'll explain later, but for now, Raditz, leave Gohan to me. I know what I can do,"_ Goku told him.

He was still confused, but Raditz had to trust in his younger brother then.

Goku then closed his eyes and talked telepathically in his son's mind this time._ "Gohan, stop!"_

Great Ape Gohan actually stopped in an instant and miraculously, he somewhat recognized that voice and was able to hear Goku, his father, amidst his piercing howls and clouded mind. He stared at nowhere, but kept his ears opened.

Raditz noticed his nephew's sudden shift of behavior. "It looks like Kakarot is able to calm him down."

Krillin looked at him and then to Vegeta.

"_Gohan, you have to stop. You need to aim for Vegeta. That's what you need to do. Stop him. Please listen to daddy!" _pleaded Goku, hoping this would work.

Vegeta noticed this strange calmness that had now surged inside Gohan's mind. He took this opportunity to stop his transformation by blasting the moon himself. "Now!" he dashed high into the skies and stared directly at the full moon. With his fists clasped together, he was prepared to destroy it in a single blow until all of a sudden, Krillin came and distracted him.

"Kyah!" Krillin swooped in and gave a flying sidekick to his face.

Vegeta was fazed a little, but it did little to stop him. He stared back at Krillin with heating eyes. "How dare you!" he shouted.

"Krillin!" Raditz exclaimed.

Goku continued to talk inside his son's mind, to try to bring him back to his senses. _"Listen to Dad, Gohan. You have to aim for Vegeta. Go ahead and turn around. We're your family and friends. Focus, Gohan!"_

Krillin quickly positioned to his stance as he watched Vegeta approaching him. He was prepared to fight him with strong will despite of great fear clouding his mind. Raditz was about to save the monk fighter until suddenly, Gohan had finally turned his attention towards their enemy and he roared at him.

Vegeta was distracted once more. He turned around, seeing how he was Gohan's target again.

Goku knew it was the perfect time. "NOW!" he told his son.

Gohan kept his eyes on the Saiyan Prince. He used his gigantic fist to throw a heavy, powerful punch straight to Vegeta. He evaded it just in time, but as soon as he lifted himself up in the air, Gohan used his other hand to smash Vegeta against a near-by canyon by surprise.

"AUGH!" Vegeta was rammed against it and he was forced to spurt blood.

Krillin as well as Raditz were surprised. "Gohan!"

Gohan gave another roaring yell. This time, he used both of his hands to crush Vegeta with all his might.

Vegeta weakly opened an eye, seeing two colossal stone-like fists preparing to send him into a world of pain. A rush of anger took over his mind; he was suddenly engulfed in his blazing, blue aura. Gohan realized that his incoming attack was stopped by the Saiyan Prince, seeing how he was able to push back both of his giant hands!

"What the?" Raditz was shocked and he could not believe this.

Vegeta shouted. "Rargh!" with all his strength, he repelled him back with an immediate force field. Then, he quickly placed his hands in front and fired a perilous energy blast colored both violet and blue. It electrified and it directly hit Gohan's chest, forcing him to move back one more time. The blast woke a huge explosion, leaving residues of white, flaming sparks scattering everywhere.

Raditz and Krillin had to avoid these since they can cause great damage to them. Bardock was almost trapped by these sparks breaking everywhere. He evaded all except one in which had hit the surface and the force of it had blown him back. Bardock fell to his knees on the fractured grounds.

He was trying to reclaim his breath. "No, I-I can't…," he still felt he was too incompetent in using Spirit Bomb right. He glanced again at the orb for a moment, wondering what he should do now.

Great Ape Gohan was hurt, but he was even angrier than before. He suddenly retaliated, punching Vegeta again straight to his gut and making him collapse to the ground this time. Vegeta felt himself rapidly becoming weakened, and this came as a huge shocker to him. He now weakly looked up and he saw Gohan opening his mouth. A flickering, white light was emerging from the inside of his throat.

Vegeta pushed himself further beyond his limits, raising his energy to evade the incoming blast. It hit the ground, creating a huge crater on the surface with heavy rocks and particles flying about. The after-force battered his entire body greatly. He was still floating in mid-air, but his body was fidgeting with more blood running down from his new injuries.

Goku saw what was going on. He needed to keep Gohan in this current state of mind. "That's it, Gohan! Keep your focus! Take Vegeta down now!" he encouraged.

Gohan heard his father. He ran towards Vegeta.

Vegeta shook his head. "I can't believe this! How could a mere boy be able to control himself that quickly?!"

He realized that his opponents were finding every way to stop the Prince of all Saiyans to the best they can, and it seemed like they were able to finally find the way.

Vegeta had never felt so livid in his life, that he who had always lived up to his name of dignity and pride was now falling apart.

"No, I refuse to be defeated by sick, weak mortals like you!" Vegeta yelled at the top of his voice, believing that he was invincible and that he could never be stopped by any of his enemies.

Gohan drew his left arm back, about to present Vegeta with another crushing fist to his body; however, the resolve of the Saiyan Prince had unusually replenished the strength in his body. He powered up and unexpectedly sent a soaring, shocking uppercut straight to Gohan's chin, pushing him back. Gohan howled in great pain.

"Gohan!" Goku and the rest yelled.

Gohan almost lost his mind, his focus had faltered, and he let all his rage out by releasing random energy blasts from his throat and destroying more of his surroundings. He could not control himself again.

"Gohan, no!" Goku tried to get him back to his senses, but it was no use.

Vegeta took this to his advantage. He took every effort to get closer to Gohan, skillfully avoiding his rampaging arms, his stomping feet, and his energy attacks. Vegeta was close in getting to his tail and end his transformation.

Raditz and Krillin had to stop Vegeta from hurting Gohan; therefore, they fired energy blasts to distract their enemy. They missed, however, and Vegeta surprisingly countered back with an energy beam of his own. Raditz and Krillin steered clear this one, but barely. They knew time was running and they thought they may be too late.

Bardock was watching this all along. He slowly gazed at the skies with a distressed face. How can he do this? His mind kept asking this question. The fate of the Earth was lying on his hands, but he just did not know how to save this planet.

"RAARGH!" Gohan screamed in pain when Vegeta did a shocking fist to his back in which the pain plagued all over his body. Vegeta was then prepared to end his transformation.

Bardock's eyes instantly widened as if he was snapped back to reality. Even though it seemed like this battle was greeting them with a dark ending, he believed it was not the end yet. It was his own heart that was holding him back from believing in his own strength and all the hope of this world.

He quickly glanced at the Spirit Bomb that was still floating on the top of his right hand. Its power was vast, great, and immense, and if he could take this one chance and do it right, the outcome might drastically change.

He decided to take matters into his own hands.

Bardock, with great focus, meditation, and deep concentration, he struggled to absorb all the Spirit Bomb's overflowing energy into his right arm. This power was different from his own and he may not handle it, but he just had to try.

He and his allies only had one chance to victory.

Vegeta was now behind Gohan, his right arm was placed across his chest, as he was about to send him a knife-hand strike that will slice off his gigantic tail.

Raditz and Krillin tried to stop him again by firing quick energy blasts at him while trying not to hurt Gohan at the same time, but their formidable foe deflected them both and in just a split second, he counterattacked and released a fiery blast straight at them with haste. Raditz and Krillin had no time to intercept or evade it; therefore, they crossed their arms instead to endure this almost unforeseen attack. It hurt their skin like touching fire and the two grunted and cried with ache.

"HYAAH!" Vegeta abruptly disappeared for a second and then reappeared a few distances away from Gohan's tail, his right arm now spread to his right side. He had successfully cut off his tail.

Gohan was stopped in his tracks and he fell dead silent, his eyes growing wide. Very soon, his transformation had come to an end. He lost all of his gained power, he returned to his normal size, his face went back, and he soon collapsed on the ground cold, naked, and unconscious while having no memory of what happened.

Once Vegeta resurfaced, he lost his balance and he fell to one knee. Every muscle in his body was damaged and strained, it was still a miracle that he could still breathe.

Goku saw what happened and he closed his eyes. "Gohan, no!"

Raditz and Krillin immediately flew beside Gohan. Krillin held him in his arms to see if he was all right. They were relieved to know that he was only sleeping, but he was definitely drained and weakened from all that fighting.

"He's okay," Raditz sighed with relief.

Yajirobe was hiding from another corner and he took a peek. "Gohan's back to his original form, but by the looks of it, this Saiyan doesn't look like he's gonna give up!" he glanced at Vegeta.

Vegeta gravely stared at his enemies. All of them could no longer hang on and every bit of their energies was spent. Vegeta thought he should end this all now and destroy this planet without a single trace.

He stood up while having a malicious smirk. He was breathing heavily. He had fought many battles, but this one encounter was his most difficult fight yet. Everyone proved to be a challenge for him especially Goku and his family. Nevertheless, he believed he was still superior. He wanted every warrior who had fought him to simply fade from his sights. He believed they did not deserve to live especially after trying to conquer the Prince of all Saiyans.

Vegeta spoke. "You all have fought every well, I must admit, but as you can see, I still reign at the end. It's time to end this!" using the last bit of his remaining strength, he dashed high into the night skies with the full moon shining on his back. He brought his hands together and immediately, he was surrounded by his glaring, fiery-like aura, its color now turning to violet again. His torn, gloved hands began electrifying, his power pushing itself beyond what he could handle. He did not care if this last resort he will do would destroy him, too. If it could eliminate all of his enemies in an instant, that will be his triumphant victory. Power, superiority, and pride were all that mattered to him now.

His aura expanded, generating gust of bellowing winds and invisible shockwaves, which crumbled the battle zone once more. If he were to keep this up, then the entire place itself will become nothing more but a desolated wasteland. The skies were darkening and rain, tempest clouds were rolling by. Vegeta's eyes were blazing; his strength was going beyond its limits as he prepared himself to wipe out every single inhabitant in this planet. It will be his final vengeance.

King Kai shook his head, seeing how the Saiyan Prince was determined to make everything fade into nothing. "Oh no! Guys, you have to do something!" he tried to tell the Z-warriors.

Gregory and Bubbles panicked and they wondered why their allies were not fighting back this time.

Goku, Raditz, Krillin, and Yajirobe were terrified from within, their hearts nearly stopping from all of this terror they had to painfully go through. Even after everything they had done and sacrificed, it was still no use. They actually lost hope, believing all of their efforts were turned into dusts. They did not have the power they needed to stop Vegeta this time. They could only watch him now, ready to destroy all of them, their beloved family and friends, and this planet. They believed they had failed everyone.

Raditz still felt accountable for involving everyone in this horrible situation. Goku was especially in deep shame and sorrow. He felt he could not save anyone. The two brothers believed they had let everyone down.

"NOW!" Vegeta bellowed, the intense lights from his palms spread everywhere, his power prepared to consume all of them without any mercy.

Everyone's eyes widened. It was the end for them, they were sure.

…until someone was actually forgotten.

King Kai, at the last minute, felt a gut feeling in him. "W-wait…! Aah!" he gasped. "Now's your chance!"

Only one in the battlefield knew at this time Vegeta had made yet another grave mistake.

"HERE!" an unknown voice shouted, which resonated across the skies. This mighty yell was even greater than Vegeta's overwhelming, perilous power.

Vegeta's grin instantly faded away. He recognized that voice filled with such determination. When he turned his head to the left, a tremendous fist of fury struck his face. It hurt ten thousand times more than any pain he received in this fight on this day. Instantly, in a finger snap, his intensifying power and raging aura vanished, the background stopped fading, and the skies became clear again.

"Huh?!" Goku, Raditz, Krillin, and Yajirobe were surprised.

It was Bardock! He kept in that position for a moment while his right arm was now glowing with cosmic-like aura. It was colored pure white, which glimmered, giving off thousands of lustrous streaks. His fist left a trail of visible, crystal-clear aura behind like a comet passing swiftly.

(**A/N: While writing this scene, Bardock's theme Solid State Scouter just came up in my head. Try to turn on the music (the part where the guitar solo is) and read this at the same time. It's pretty epic. **)

Vegeta felt his face was petrified. He could not move. His eyes nearly turned white. "AUGH!"

"It's Father!" Raditz realized.

"Whoo hoo, way to go, Bardock!" Krillin exclaimed while he continued to hold Gohan.

Goku was instantly happy. "Dad, I knew you can do it!"

At King Kai's planet, Gregory and Bubbles started cheering as well after King Kai saw this. He was very glad and relieved. "Wow, it looks like Bardock decided to absorb all of the power of the Spirit Bomb and make it his own. I can sense his strength is way beyond there, even stronger than Vegeta's now!"

The Z-warriors' hopes that once vanished had returned to them once more.

"RAARGH!" Bardock gave a battle cry, his heart pounding with new strength of will and mind as he powerfully sent Vegeta a rush combo of attacks, ending his first set with a sharp and straight sidekick to his chest. Because of Bardock's mounting power, it actually smashed the prince's chest armor and the pieces flew like shards.

Vegeta was shocked to the core to have overlooked this. He almost could not comprehend what was going on at first. He was blown away with severe pain overtaking his body, forcing him to almost not move at all.

Bardock bent his arms to his waist and a little of his legs as he augmented his speed. He accelerated and dashed towards Vegeta, pulling his left arm back and quickly drawing it forward, delivering another crushing punch straight to his now-wounded chest. Bardock did another set of attacks, this time only using his fists. Once more, he ended it by throwing an intense, fierce punch with his right hand. His hand left another trace of white and clear aura behind, which shone like the brightest stars in the night skies.

Like the silent warrior he was, Bardock had drastically changed the outcome of this confrontation. He, once again, increased his momentum, using his acceleration to boost all status of his attacks. He was all set to bring Vegeta to defeat finally. "HYAH!" he shouted, his cries echoing in the open air.

He rushed towards the prince and he gave him another direct punch, which streaked his entire upper body, from his left shoulder to the right side of his waist. Bardock immediately turned around, attacking him with a crushing hook kick to his body, blowing him away once more.

He put a conclusion to his set of moves, ending it by accomplishing the one task that his son, Goku, had entrusted him to do.

As he turned around, his back still turned from his foe, his right hand began glowing again, the aura around it was radiating more than ever as it shone vividly, turning into a kind of energy attack that was especially powerful than anyone in this battlefield could imagine.

Bardock, with haste, formed the Spirit Bomb again on the top of his right hand, which was now filled with his own strength along with all the energy from the living things.

King Kai, Goku, and the rest were astonished to see this.

"Let's finish this!" Bardock declared. At full force, he strongly hurled the Spirit Bomb straight towards Vegeta. It moved at an incredible speed filled with amazing and awe-inspiring power, leaving surges and traces of diamond-like aura behind and ice-like sparks flying and bursting in the air.

Vegeta was too weakened to even try to take this attack head-on. He could only watch it as it approached him fast, prepared to throw him into his own doom. The tables were unexpectedly turned once again. For the first time in his life, he realized he had officially…lost.

The Spirit Bomb unlocked all of its extraordinary, unbelievable power and it made a direct and successful hit, which mightily wreaked Vegeta. "AAUGH!" Vegeta screamed, the shimmering orb striking every part of his body, draining every last bit of his power, which tore him completely. Vegeta had clearly underestimated the unshakable Z-fighters. It was the Saiyan Prince who had ended up in his own ruin at the end. The Spirit Bomb flared, glistened, and rushed and with Vegeta, it made its way higher into the night skies. Its shafts of light spread everywhere, giving illumination to the darkened battlefield and tainted skies.

The Z-fighters' hopes and faiths were restored. They thanked Bardock very much for being there by their sides.

Bardock watched with great determination and resolute while this decisive battle had finally come to its conclusion. Because of his fortitude and valiant actions, because he held onto the tiny shed of hope and faith even though everyone was on the verge of surrendering to the darkness, it paved way to victory.


	40. Empathy

Episode 40

Empathy

The spectacular lights of the powerful Spirit Bomb that had illuminated the darkness of the battle had finally disappeared. The stars continued to shine. The full moon was still up high and bright, and the gray clouds had gone.

Bardock breathed heavily still. He maintained that position for a little longer until he relaxed his body, raised his head up high as he descended from the night skies. He resurfaced, his knees touching the fractured grounds, his hands against them including his forehead.

He had never felt so much strain and difficulty in his entire life, but now, it was finally over. The task that his son had entrusted him to do, he was able to fulfill it. The trust that all his allies laid upon him, he was grateful that he did not let them down. He was able to save his family and friends including this planet.

The rest of the Z-fighters watched Bardock, grateful and happy that he was able to save Earth just in time. Soon, they realized another figure coming from above. They looked up to see the Saiyan Prince himself; however, he was covered in more wounds and injuries that had torn every movement of muscle in his body. He made a hard fall on the grounds and he continued to lay there with his eyes closed.

Krillin gave a heavy sigh. "It's…finally over."

Vegeta was completely unconscious…or was he?

"Huh?" the Z-fighters picked up a faint sound ahead of them.

Vegeta's fingers suddenly moved. He grunted as he struggled to open his eyes. "…ngh…," he was in terrible pain.

Even though the Z-fighters knew that Vegeta was brutally wounded, they grew shocked to know that he actually survived the ultimate Spirit Bomb, that he can still move a little even at his current state.

"I can't believe it," Goku said. He then closed his eyes and moved his head to the side, his broken body kept him lying here for a very long time. "He was able to endure all of that power? Heh, he's definitely a tough opponent…"

Raditz felt anger smoldering in his chest again. "Vegeta…"

Bardock clearly heard him. He slowly looked up, seeing the prince's fingers moved and now, his neck and upper body. "…what a stubborn…fool," he said to himself.

Vegeta did not expect this to happen. Even though it may not show, his anger was way beyond what he could handle, but his shame and humiliation were even worse than it. He admitted that he lost this battle; however, that did not mean it was the end for him.

He cannot fight any longer at this current state. He must recover until he can make a return.

He reached out for something from the inside of his damaged, armored chest plate and took out some sort of a device. Vegeta punched in a few buttons on the apparatus. Even trying to press these was taking a great deal of effort. He then weakly let go of the remote while he continued to catch his breath.

Yajirobe peeked from the corner he was hiding from and said, "Oh man, Vegeta's still alive? How is this happening?! I really hope he doesn't see me though."

In no time, there was something approaching them in the skies. They looked up to see some sort of an alien space pod and it landed to where they were.

"Wait, could that be…?" Bardock asked.

The pod landed a few feet away from Vegeta. When he noticed it, he struggled to force his entire body to move as he crawled on the surface, heading for the mini-spacecraft that he rode on before he arrived to Earth with Nappa.

Raditz saw this. He finally stood up and realized he was attempting to retreat.

As Vegeta crawled with much pain, he began talking to himself lividly under his breath. "You-think you've seen the last of me? I'm Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans; the strongest f-fighter in the universe! Why would mere weaklings like you could have d-done this to me?!" he questioned. It was the only one aspect in this battle that he did not want to accept. Why, of all the mighty power he wielded in which it was feared and even destroyed by many, why was it conquered by warriors that had come from Earth, that had come from strengths and changes in the heart in which he called them to be "weak" and "pitiful"?

Vegeta was only inches away from reaching his Saiyan pod.

Krillin exclaimed, "He's-he's trying to escape!"

Bardock heard him and he clenched his fists together. "What?"

"No, we can't let him!" Krillin shook his head.

Just before Bardock and Krillin could have done something to prevent Vegeta from leaving, one Saiyan decided to take care of this situation.

Vegeta was about to grab the door of his spaceship until a shadow loomed over him. He quickly turned his head and gasped in surprise to see Raditz standing before him.

And he saw this wrath of fury in his eyes. He had never seen him this angry before in his life.

"W-what?" Vegeta felt a little intimidated especially now that he was too weak to do anything but breathe.

"Raditz?" both Krillin and Bardock asked.

Raditz did not speak to his former comrade immediately. He was remembering the many memories from the past that had pained him for too long. The Saiyan Prince himself was a part of those memories, and he absolutely hated this.

Finally, Raditz told him, "You think you can get away easily, Vegeta? After everything that you did? No…," he clenched his fists. "You can't escape this time. Face it. You're finished."

Without hesitations, he placed his right hand in front of Vegeta's chest where his heart was. His hand immediately formed a faint, yet perilous energy attack in the middle to end Vegeta's life right here.

Raditz just wanted him out from his sights. He did not want him to bother his friends and family. He himself had suffered long enough by the hands of the prince, and he did not want him to bother him anymore.

The energy sphere in his hand immediately brightened and became stronger. "NOW DIE!" Raditz screamed.

Vegeta's eyes grew horrified.

The Z-warriors gasped in surprise and they were sure that he was going to get killed by Raditz.

Until suddenly, a voice interrupted Raditz. It almost echoed from a distance and even in his own mind. Raditz heard this voice, and the energy in his right hand disappeared for a moment.

"Raditz, stop! DON'T DO IT!" that voice yelled.

Raditz was stopped. He remained still for a moment, but when he turned around, there was more frustration in his eyes. He was staring directly at his younger brother. He had learned from the beginning about this softness of his, which he did not want his brother to have in such desperate situations like these.

"Kakarot, we can't just let him go," he told him. "He's done too much harm in this planet. Do you want this same event to happen again if he escapes and decides to come back?!" he raises his voice.

Goku was unaffected by his anger. He persisted to convince him even though this sore from his throat was making struggle to speak. "Listen to me, Raditz. Just let him go…show him what it means to be…_merciful_."

Raditz stared at him again, a little longer this time as if he was trying to process what the last word was he said.

At this time, how can he possibly show this kind of emotion to someone whom he hated since the beginning?

"...merciful? Merciful? Merciful?!" Raditz yelled, questioning his brother.

Goku noticed that tone in his voice and he realized something in him; a kind of pain his brother had been carrying for a long time.

"For someone who has disrespected me, humiliated me, _and_ who had always treated me like garbage since the beginning?!" Raditz continued to raise his voice. "How can I possibly show mercy?!"

Goku shook his head. "I know what you mean, Raditz. I understand how you feel, but-!"

"No!" Raditz interrupted and tried to argue. "You don't understand! You were not in my shoes; you didn't know what I _had_ to go through since our home planet was destroyed! You'd never understand…you would never…," at the end, he lowered down his voice as he finally remembered these memories he despised one more time. He began to share them with Goku to make him understand why he cannot show mercy at all to Vegeta.

Goku stared into his brother's eyes and saw nothing but pain in them. Their father, Bardock, will also find out what his eldest son had gone through for the past several years.

The rest listened to his story while Vegeta also remembered these memories.

A flashback occurred. Ever since the Saiyans' home planet was destroyed, the only Saiyans left to serve Frieza were Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz. They were his only henchmen who were Saiyans, Saiyans in which Frieza admitted possessed so much strength and power, which was why he used them to do his work of conquering planets and collecting them, and also helping him to be the galactic overlord of all those planets and galaxies.

In a planet which Frieza and his entire army lived, in a specific headquarter that was mainly for training purposes, a group of alien henchmen were in a room of controls with a one-way mirror in front of them. On the other side, there was a training room specifically designed for the Saiyans. Inside the room that was all empty and completely white, there were Nappa and Raditz, fighting and training. They were in their Saiyan battle gear, but with slight changes in color scheme, and the group of Frieza's henchmen was keeping close watch of their battle statuses, moves, strength, and stamina by analyzing their data.

"AUGH!" Raditz cried in pain as he was given a direct blow to his cheek. His back hit against the wall.

Nappa approached him while cracking his knuckles. "Heh, heh, come on now, Raditz! You can do better than that. I thought you were doing some secret training last night…unless you were wasting your time crying instead that I was able to beat the heck out of you a few days before!"

Raditz wiped the blood from his mouth. He strained to get up, his body shaking a little, but he was becoming angrier. "Shut up, Nappa."

The henchmen began speaking to each other, sharing their observations and the results of the two Saiyans' fighting.

"Sir Nappa has improved quite a lot. In fact, his power always grows whenever he fights, but Sir Raditz here…he's always behind."

"His strength doesn't seem to be increasing or anything. If it is, it's a really gradual accumulation; hardly anything at all."

"I wonder what's holding him back."

"It's obvious. According to his status, he's just a low-class warrior and he just happens to be a very weak one as well."

Suddenly, the henchmen saw someone from the corner of their eyes and then, they heard someone saying, "Lord Frieza has arrived!"

The tyrant they had faithfully served indeed had come. The henchmen quickly turned around and stood up straight, giving their best posture and their upmost respect to the galactic overlord.

Frieza though was in the shadows and so, no one could fully see him.

"Any explanation as to why one of my Saiyan henchmen is shockingly weak?" the emperor asked, referring to Raditz.

His henchmen immediately felt their palms getting sweaty, but they answered him to the best they could.

"We do not know, my lord. We can only come to a reasonable conclusion that he is simply in the lowest position of the low-class soldier category. His strength though does increase, but only by tiny increments. As of now, he wields no specific specialty that could benefit him in battle, but we are monitoring him closely, Lord Fri-"

Frieza interrupted and began to laugh. "Hah, hah! I didn't have to know that too many details, thank you very much."

The henchmen felt they had offended him and they immediately apologized.

Frieza could see Nappa and Raditz fighting through the one-way mirror and he noticed Raditz was taking quite a beating from his comrade.

"I guess I can't blame him," Frieza casually shrugged his shoulders. "His other two comrades are high-class Saiyans. It's strange how I'm still keeping him as part of my army, but to give you all a perspective, compared to you all of you, weaklings," he then stared at his henchmen, referring to them, "he's not half-bad. He had survived some of my toughest missions, but he always comes back looking terribly bruised."

Frieza immediately walked away while his right-hand men followed him.

The other henchmen continued to sweat, their hearts beating rapidly with all that pressure just trying to talk to Frieza correctly.

After Raditz's training session with Nappa, Raditz was in a treatment room with a reptilian-like doctor who was tending his wounds he received from Nappa. They were quite bad and Raditz was forced to go here.

Raditz was disappointed to know that he cannot prove to his comrade in any way that he was no low-class soldier. How can he be so weak? He kept asking himself this many times.

"Your comrade's not going easy on you, isn't he?" the doctor asked him while applying some alcohol on the bandages.

Raditz was easily irritated. "Why would I want him to go easy on me?"

"Well, you might as well get plenty of rest tonight," the doctor suggested. "Judging by what I see here, your wounds are pretty bad. You need to hold off the fighting for a while. Re-injuring them could lead to more injuries and infections-"

Suddenly, Raditz interrupted and he stared at him with anger. "Can you just stop analyzing how injured I am?! I don't need any rest. You do know that I'm a Saiyan, don't you?!"

The doctor was already used to this kind of talk he always encountered with Saiyans, but he did not expect Raditz to crossly grab the bandages with the alcohol in them from his hands. He thought he was going to attack him for sure.

"Sir Raditz," the doctor tried to calm him down.

"Just leave. I can take care of these wounds myself," Raditz declared.

The doctor could only sigh. He went back to work while leaving him alone for a while.

Raditz hastily applied the bandages on his wounds, but he underestimated the pain. It immediately sank in and stung. He hissed and bit his lips, trying to endure this. Just feeling how much this pain stung made his frustrations grew more.

After treating himself with the bandages, he lent out a heavy, disappointed sigh. He placed his hand on his forehead and stared at the empty floor. He was covered in several bandages around his arms, hands, and his left leg. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he hated to these wounds because they only revealed how weak he was.

And yet, he trained vigorously always, knowing that someday that he will become strong and be able to prove a point to his comrades who had always looked down on him.

Half an hour had passed, Raditz changed his Saiyan armor and now, he was found walking in the hallways of Frieza's palace where he resided. He was supposed to report to him about a mission he had currently done this morning. He was about to have an audience with him until Nappa suddenly appeared.

"Well, well, Raditz, where are you heading off to?" he asked him with a grin.

Raditz passed him without making any eye contact. "Have I already had enough of you for one day?"

"What're you getting so ticked about? Is it because of our training session today?" Nappa asked.

Raditz stopped walking; his back still turned from him.

"Oh, so it _is_ that. Don't worry. You'll get somewhat stronger, but you'll be dead by the time you want to become an elite soldier like me!" Nappa began to boast about his own strength. He then burst out laughing.

Raditz lowered his head a little.

"Raditz, how long will you keep on dreaming? You'll never get any stronger than me. I can't believe that Lord Frieza's still keeping you as part of his army. He should've sent you off somewhere with a bunch of other weaklings already!" Nappa told him.

Raditz did not say anything.

"You'll only slow us down anyway," he mentioned. "Why do you think you always struggle every time you, Vegeta, and I have a mission assigned by Lord Frieza to some faraway planet? You always come in with bad injuries. Face the reality, Raditz. You'll never amount to us! To _my_ power!"

Raditz still did not respond; however, his entire body trembled. His hands curled into fists. He could feel this undesirable rage just boiling inside.

"If only your father was not a low-class soldier; if only he didn't turn you into a softie!" he continued to humiliate him and laugh.

Raditz snapped and all of a sudden, he turned around and punched Nappa straight to his cheek. His swirl of enraged emotions had Nappa slam against the wall, and Nappa was quite shocked by how much power…his punch actually held. As a result, there were a few blood splatters on the floor.

Nappa became angry especially after seeing his own blood being drawn out by someone who had lower status than him. "H-how dare you! You dare to strike your own comrade…who's a top-class warrior?!"

Raditz lost control of himself. He grabbed Nappa by the collar and screamed. "Your attitude resembles nothing like that of a top-class soldier! Stop looking down on me for the last time! I am sick and tired…OF IT!" he screamed again. He was about to punch Nappa once more in the face until all of a sudden, two of Frieza's henchmen saw this commotion. They came in and tried to break up the fight.

"Sir Raditz, Sir Nappa, don't fight here!" they warned them.

Soon, Frieza came in after hearing the commotion. He was still blended in the shadows and so his full figure cannot be seen that clearly. His right-hand men were standing beside him.

"What is this?!" Frieza shouted.

Raditz and Nappa heard him and they grew petrified. The henchmen finally got a hold of the Saiyans, but Frieza ordered them to let them go. After the henchmen did, Raditz and Nappa immediately bowed to Frieza with one knee bent and their heads lowered completely.

"Lord Frieza!" the both of them said.

"What's going on here?" Frieza then noticed the blood splatters on the floor and this made him irritated. "You two were fighting on the grounds of my _own_ palace?"

The two believed they were all in grave trouble.

At this time, Vegeta happened to come by since he was looking for his comrades. When he saw them with Frieza, he knew something bad happened. He became annoyed. "Not again!" he quickly headed towards his comrades while speaking to Frieza with all the respect he could give. "Lord Frieza, please, I beg you, Sir, don't get mad. They always happen to fight without my presence. Please forgive them. I ought to teach them some manners," he then angrily stared at his comrades.

Frieza raised an eyebrow. He placed his hands behind his back. "You better teach them some manners, Vegeta. I expect far greater things from you _Saiyans,_" he emphasized that last word with disgust. "Be thankful that I'll spare the three of you since you are so important to my army."

Raditz, Nappa, and Vegeta clearly heard this disgusted tone.

"If this happens again though, I will _not_ hesitate to slit your throats," he warned them. He began to walk away with his right-hand men to return to his throne. "Make sure you clean up this mess! I don't want any blood of your barbaric Saiyan race stained at my palace."

He left while the three Saiyans grew in anger to hear the tyrant call their own kind "barbaric"; however, there was nothing that they could do about it.

The two henchmen began cleaning up the mess on the floor.

Vegeta was staring at his comrades with his arms crossed. He then turned around. "You two sometimes annoy me."

"Don't blame me, Vegeta," Nappa told him, wiping the blood from his lips. "Raditz was the one who started the fight."

"I don't care who started the fight. If you guys really hate each other so much, why not you two beat each other up until one of you kicks the bucket?" Vegeta asked.

"Tch! Whatever," Nappa then passed Raditz and Vegeta, leaving them. He went out of Frieza's palace and returned to his own place.

Raditz had not spoken a word since Frieza came in. Vegeta stared at him now and waited for an answer from him, an explanation to why he lost control of himself.

No, he did not need any explanations. He already knew where the source of his anger was coming from.

Raditz though completely ignored Vegeta. He was about to leave until the prince interrupted him.

"I don't know what your deal is, Raditz, but you need to start accepting the reality. You can't get any stronger due to your useless excuse of a father…who has abandoned you, left you like this…," Vegeta declared that this was the case.

Raditz's eyes widened. He clenched his fists again and he spoke angrily in his mind. _"My father…never tried to let me down…!"_

"Unfortunately for you, you'll always be stuck to where you are unless you do something about it," the Saiyan Prince left before him and he disappeared out of sight.

Raditz now had an expressionless face, a kind of look that said he had absolutely been defeated mentally. He was the last to leave the palace. He will have to report to Frieza a little later on in the day once the emperor's temper had mitigated.

He took flight to go to an isolated place, a place filled with strange-colored rocky canyons where he can be alone, where he can hear no one but himself.

When Raditz arrived, all of a sudden, he slammed his left hand angrily against the canyon, creating a slight vibration to it. He lowered his head, his teeth gritted together as he tried to hide his face from this world. He was breathing heavily, absolutely angry by what he had to go through for so long. He was missing something important and he felt that was all lost. Through all of his rage and anger, two teardrops fell from his eyes.

The flashback finally ended. The Z-warriors felt sorry for Raditz especially Bardock who was able to somewhat feel the suffer he had to go through.

Raditz was done with his story. Now, he told his brother, "No one understood me. No one treated me right. But now, I have my chance for revenge," he turned to Vegeta once more and he placed his palm in front of him again.

Even though Goku was struck with a lot of emotion from his story, he did not want him to turn back to that same warrior who hungers for nothing but revenge. "Raditz, no! I understand the pain you had to go through, but please, you need to spare him. Believe in me. I know what I'm doing!"

"You just don't get it, do you, Kakarot?!" Raditz yelled as he stared at him again. "Besides, you know what happens when Saiyans survive after the brink of death. They become more powerful. We can't show any mercy at this time! I know you're kindhearted, Kakarot, but someone like him won't change his ways at all! He killed our friends! He will _never_ change!"

Goku shook his head. He was underlying assumptions with so little evidence. "Don't be so sure about that, Raditz. I know someday that he'll change. Think about it for a moment. Look, before you and Dad came to Earth, Piccolo used to be just as evil as Vegeta is, but now he's one of us, right?"

Raditz listened to his brother, but he was still not convinced.

"Please, Raditz, I know you're angry at him. I would've felt the same way, too, but if you treat him now the same way like he treated you, then what makes you any different from him?!" Goku asked.

Bardock listened to his sons. He really felt sorry for Raditz for going through all that pain when he was away. As for Goku, he felt confused if what he was saying was right: that they should let Vegeta go because…he might change someday?

It reminded him of himself. Bardock did, too, change his ways when he began to realize that killing innocent people was wrong even though he came from a merciless, war race that did not hesitate to cause a bloodbath. He had no choice though due to certain circumstances.

Bardock finally understood what Goku was trying to say.

"If we show him some compassion, maybe he'll do the same," guessed Goku with strong belief. "Piccolo was able to show his, and he's a good friend to us. Who knows? Someday, maybe Vegeta will become like one."

"Augh!" Vegeta was finally inside his Saiyan space pod, but his legs ached still. He cannot move again for a moment.

Raditz turned back to the fleeing Vegeta. He struggled to make a decision.

Goku saw him and begged for his older brother to understand him. "Raditz, please. Don't do it. Everyone has a _chance_ to change!"

Raditz closed his eyes. He shook his head in disagreement and was not convinced still. "No. It must end now!" he re-formed the perilous energy sphere in his palm and he was about to finish Vegeta off.

Vegeta's eyes grew wide as he was about to witness his end.

Goku became frustrated with him. He then asked him to look inside of himself this time. "How about you, Raditz?! Think about that for a moment!"

Raditz gasped, and the energy sphere around his palm fainted once more.

Bardock looked at him. "Raditz…"

"You remembered how you changed your ways and regretted for what you did? Do you?!" Goku raised his voice. He had to persuade him somehow; to make him understand. "When you first came to Earth, you were just as pure evil as Vegeta is and like Piccolo was once was, but now, you are a caring and loving brother I ever have!" he said, his voice now dry and weak.

Raditz shook and thought about what he just said with such sensitivity.

"That's because you realized your mistakes and you knew what the right thing is. Please, Raditz," Goku pleaded, "Vegeta will eventually do the same thing. I'm sure of it. Give him a chance. Have mercy in him! You got to trust me!" he suddenly made a fist and smashed the ground a little bit, hoping to finally convince him.

Raditz stared at Vegeta with confused, frustrated eyes.

"If you act like that, then you're no better than he is. Please!" Goku then reminded him of something important. "Don't forget, Raditz. I'm a _Saiyan_! Just like you…just like Dad…just like Vegeta. Have mercy in him. Everyone…deserves to have a chance to change their ways!"

Raditz closed his eyes and gritted his teeth together. He was very conflicted and he did not know who to listen to; however, he remembered the time when he was once an enemy who had killed countless, innocent lives including his own flesh and blood. It was then he realized that he was wrong about everything.

And now, he had changed his ways and people forgave him even Goku. They helped him out. They…understood him.

Raditz opened his eyes slowly and finally made a decision. The energy sphere from his hand completely vanished. With great difficulty, he turned his head the other way. Even though he truly hated him, he decided to spare the Saiyan Prince.

Goku was very relieved to see this. "Thanks, Raditz, for understanding all of this. That took a whole lot of willpower, but I knew you'd understand. I'm g-grateful," his voice continued to be weak.

Raditz stood in silence. He faced his younger brother again with a serious look. "Kakarot, please, I hope that what you said is right because if Vegeta does come back and hungry for revenge…," soon, he slowly smiled and made a fist, "then we can always stop him, right, little brother?"

Goku smiled as widely as him and he nodded. "Heh, heh, right, you said it, big brother!"

The rest of the Z-warriors smiled to see this. They were all convinced that what Goku and Raditz had done was the right thing after all. Bardock was the only one who maintained a serious expression.

Raditz turned around and noticed that Vegeta was now in his space pod. The hatch was about to close, but Vegeta spoke his last words to his opponents before leaving

He struggled to speak as it was also difficult for him to bring out his voice, but nevertheless, he chuckled with malevolence. "Heh, heh, enjoy this victory of yours while you can…because when I come back, you won't be getting any mercy from me. I'll become more powerful!" he then focused his eyes onto Raditz and tried to engrave this in his own conscious. "You made a huge mistake, Raditz. You should've never listened to your pathetic brother. You've really become too soft. Soon, it'll be your downfall. You do realize that, don't you?"

Raditz did not answer him.

"Very soon, I will leave you all in bloodshed," he declared. The hatch finally closed and his spaceship began to take flight. He laughed with even more pride and superiority while knowing that he will crush his opponents next time without any given mercy. Vegeta then grunted as the pain hit him and so he was forced to close his eyes and rest. He left without a trace.

Goku though continued to have that smile on his face. Bardock watched him left while Raditz could only sigh and stand still.

As Raditz gazed at the stars and moon, sensing how the tranquility and peace had returned to this planet, he then felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and realized it was Bardock.

"Father…," Raditz said with uncertainty in his voice. He wondered that they letting Vegeta go was the best decision.

Bardock could not give him an answer. He just told him, "Let's go back," was the only thing he could say.

Raditz nodded, understanding him.

Goku looked at Krillin and asked him if he could see Gohan to see if he was all right.

"How is he?" Goku asked.

Krillin bent down while he continued to carry Gohan in his arms. "He's fine. He's just exhausted. Transforming into a Great Ape is not as easy as it looks, y' know."

Goku chuckled softly.

As for Yajirobe, he finally emerged from his hiding. He was talking to himself. "You 'kay, Yajirobe? Yeah, I'm fine. Don't need a hand. I can get up."

Raditz and Bardock walked towards Goku, Krillin, and Gohan.

"Hey, Dad," Goku turned his head towards him. "I'm glad you were able to successfully use the Spirit Bomb."

Bardock nodded. "I couldn't have done it without your help; thanks to all of you."

Yajirobe then came from behind them.

"Well, Vegeta's gone," Krillin said. "What's left to do now? Our friends…all of them…how can we-?"

Suddenly, they heard a faint sound coming from a distance. They looked up to see what it was. They saw a hovering car coming towards them.

Krillin thought it was another enemy. "Oh, great, what now?"

"Huh?" Yajirobe narrowed his eyes to get a better look. "Oh, hey, it's Master Roshi. And I see Bulma and the rest!"

"They're here?" Krillin asked. He then laughed happily. "Hey, guys, over here!"

Master Roshi, who was maneuvering the car, peeked his head out of the window and waved at them. "Hey, how's it going, sweet lads? Looks like you're all okay!"

Goku gave a soft smile and so did everyone else. As the vehicle took a landing, there was suddenly a loud bang on the door and then came Chi-Chi's voice. "Hurry up and open the door already!" she yelled.

"Oh man," Krillin bit his lips, knowing this will not be a good sign.

When the door opened, Chi-Chi came flying out from the automobile and sprinted straight towards Goku and the others. "Where's my son?! Is he okay?!"

She was coming to them fast, and Krillin backed away a little bit, thinking she might mindlessly bump into them. He tried to show Gohan to her.

"It's okay, Chi-Chi, Gohan's fine, see?" he tried to reassure her.

Chi-Chi came hastily to Krillin and she held Gohan in her hands while Krillin was pushed back a little.

"Woah!" Krillin exclaimed.

Chi-Chi had slight tears coming out from her eyes. "Oh my, what happened to my Gohan? He looks terribly injured!"

Bardock tried to calm her down. "Your son's fine. He's just knocked out, that's all."

Chi-Chi then took Gohan into her arms, wrapping him with a blanket to keep him warm. She was about to cry again. "I can't believe I let my own son go into danger! Now look at him! I promise to you, Gohan, I'll make sure nothing happens to you again!" she then holds her son close to her.

Raditz gave a look while Yajirobe was annoyingly covering his ears, not wanting to hear her loud voice at this time.

Krillin scratched the back of his head. "Wow, she's extremely overprotective."

Bardock turned to Goku and he kneeled down beside. He touched his arm softly. "How are you holding up, Kakarot? You can't move still, can't you?"

Goku grunted as he suddenly felt this sharp pain in his legs. "Ngh! No, I couldn't, and the pain's getting to me again."

Krillin placed his hands on his hips. "Unfortunately, we don't have any more Senzu Beans to get you back to normal, Goku."

"It's okay…ngh!" Goku grunted in pain again.

Chi-Chi noticed her husband now and he appeared to be the most injured out of all. She was very frustrated with him; however, despite of his flaws, with all the sacrifices he had done, he was indeed heroic. While holding Gohan in her arms, she ran to him this time and she kneeled down beside him. "Goku, are you all right?"

Goku opened an eye and turned to her. "Chi-Chi?"

Chi-Chi was relieved, but she cannot help but show her aggravation towards him. "Rrrgh, you have got a lot of explaining to do, Goku."

Goku became a little afraid. "Chi-Chi!" he tried to say.

Krillin and Yajirobe thought she was going to go berserk again. Raditz became confused while Bardock just stared at her while he continued to hold Goku's arm.

Master Roshi, Bulma, and the Ox-King had come out from the vehicle to see how their friends were doing, but after seeing the look on Chi-Chi's face, they became nervous. Puar, Oolong, Turtle, and Fortuneteller Baba remained in the car.

Ox-King tried to calm down his daughter. "Chi-Chi, it's okay. Just relax, please!"

Goku was able to calm himself down though. He understood his wife's frustrations. He could now only smile. He knew that she will be angry after being gone for a year and for putting their son in a situation like this. He replied to his wife, "Yeah, I know. I got a lot of explaining to do. Sorry for worrying you, Chi-Chi. I really wished I could've told you sooner."

Chi-Chi noticed the sincerity in his words, that he was really sorry. She felt bad now for getting angry at him again. There was no use trying to worsen more of the tension than what it already was now. Her husband and his friends had just fought a very difficult battle, and there was no reason to get angry now.

She sighed with a lot of stress. "I guess we'll have to take you to the hospital to get you treated. We'll just talk later."

Goku began to laugh. "Yeah, that's a good idea, heh, heh," he smiled as he was happy to know that she was not that mad with him.

Yajirobe saw this and he remarked, "Wow, and I thought Chi-Chi only cares about her son and his studies."

Krillin sighed with relief. He was glad Chi-Chi was able to control her temper this time.

Bulma and Master Roshi approached Goku to see how he looked like and they were more worried to see him like this.

"You really took quite a beating, Goku," Bulma said, clasping her hands together.

"Fighting two powerful Saiyans," Master Roshi began to scan the environment and saw the heavy damage done to it, "was such a very difficult task, wasn't it? I could barely recognize this place now."

Goku agreed. "Yeah, me, too. The problem is I couldn't get up. Every bone in my body is broken."

"Don't sweat it. You've done enough for one day now," another voice said. Suddenly, a white cat with a wooden stick approached them. Goku quickly recognized it was Master Korin. He did not expect him to be here.

"Oh, he just happened to come by," Roshi explained. "He wanted to speak with you."

"Oh, I see," Goku said.

Krillin then turned to Bulma with uneasiness to tell her about what happened to Yamcha. He knew this will be very difficult for her. "Hey, Bulma," he quickly stammered. "A-about Yamcha, I know this'll be hard to believe, but h-he-"

Bulma though stopped Krillin. She had already seen everything through Fortuneteller Baba's magic ball. "You don't need to tell me, Krillin. I already know."

"Oh, then I guess I should drop that subject then," Krillin lowered his head. "I'm really sorry about what happened, Bulma."

Goku gave a disappointed look. "Our other friends have also gone, and with Piccolo's disappearance, so are the DragonBalls."

Raditz heard what he said and he became just as sad as he was. "How are we supposed to wish our friends back without them?" he asked.

Bulma turned her head a little, hoping that no one could see her face, but everyone knew what she was feeling. She was crying and tears were falling from her eyes. "This is so stupid! If only we had done something; if only someone here wasn't such a coward!" she then pointed at Yajirobe. "If maybe you would've come earlier, everyone else would still be alive including Yamcha!"

"Hey, hold on a sec!" Yajirobe tried to defend himself. "First of all, you do know that even though I were to arrive early, I'd still be weak and maybe lost my butt fighting those Saiyans. Secondly, you should be thankin' me instead! I was the one who cut off the tail of that giant ape monster! If I hadn't, this place would've exploded!"

"That's no excuse still for not being there for your friends as earlier as you should!" Bulma growled and screamed at him.

Korin stepped in and broke their quarrel. "Quiet down, you guys. No time to fight amongst ourselves. What's done is done. For now, let's get all of our fighters treated and healed. I've already given out my last two Senzu Beans."

Master Roshi, Yajirobe, and Raditz helped Goku get him inside the vehicle. Bulma was still crying, thinking there was no hope left now that the DragonBalls were gone. Chi-Chi and Gohan were already inside the car.

Krillin was about to go with the others until he noticed something familiar from the corner of his eye. He looked to his left and saw a piece of fabric that was colored red. It was gently moving with the soft breeze that just came by.

"Huh?" he was curious to see this. He went closer to it and picked it up. Once the moon's rays fully shone on it, it was clear to him now what this was. "Oh, this is Bardock's bandanna."

He took a quick glance at Bardock this time and for some reason, he was just standing there and not moving at all. Judging by his expression, he seemed to be very frustrated. He had his hand on his forehead.

Krillin took one more look at the fabric before approaching him.

Bardock began to move towards the vehicle.

"Yo, Bardock," Krillin quickly caught his attention.

Bardock turned around.

"You almost forgot about something," he then showed his bandanna.

Bardock was taken back a little. Afterwards, he smiled with relief. "Thanks. I was looking for this. Can't leave without it," he took his bandanna and tied it around his forehead. He closed his eyes and deeply inhaled. When he opened his eyes, he nodded to Krillin.

Krillin gave him a thumps-up.

The two then went inside the vehicle.

After a perilous and overwhelming battle, the Z-fighters won and they had restored peace and harmony to Earth once again. Everyone underwent the obstacles and life-threatening challenges, and some were unfortunate to have fallen into the hands of their enemies. Despite of all the tragedies, Goku convinced Raditz to spare Vegeta's life, believing he can change his ways for the better. Vegeta though warned them that he will return and this made everyone wonder if letting him go was the best decision they had made. At this time, it was hard for them to see someone who was raised as a fearless and merciless warrior to have a change of heart.

The battle may be done for now, but it is not quite over yet.


End file.
